Meet the Hickathrift House Care Home Team

Hello, my name is Sarah and I am the Deputy Manager here at Hickathrift House.

I started my role at Hickathrift as a night carer in 2011, and have worked my way up through the roles since this time such as senior carer, Night Manager and now Deputy Manager at the end of November 2022.

I am very passionate about my job, and love to know that every day I come into work I try my best to impact positively on the residents wellbeing. Knowing that even the smallest of things such as a quick hello or a smile can improve their day greatly as well as mine. I am enjoying getting to know the families and friends which working 11 years on nights you can miss.

I am extremely dedicated to ensuring the best for all of our residents in all aspects of their care, and with the excellent support from all of staff here at Hickathrift it doesn’t feel like a job at all.

Hello, my name is Kerry Ann and I am I the Head of our Residential Community here at Hickathrift House.

I joined Hickathrift House in 2018 as a Senior Care Assistant and then became the Head of the community in 2020. 

During my career, I have gained my NVQ 2 and 3 in Health and Social care for adults and firmly believe the care I give to our residents should be the same as if they were my own family. 

I like to make myself approachable to all our staff, residents, and their families. There really in no place I would rather be and I love working alongside the team here at Hickathrift House.

Hello, my name is Tracey Hills and I have been part of the Administration team here at Hickathrift House for 12 years. I enjoy helping people and advising them where I can. 

I have been part of the team at Hickathrift House for 26 years covering different job roles including Deputy Manager. I would like to think that I am a friendly and approachable person and look forward to meeting you when you visit our home very soon!

Hello, my name is Kanita Oakey-Kierman and I have been part of the the Administration Team here at Hickathrift House for the past 12 years.

I have worked at Hickathrift for over 27 years. During this time I have been a Care Assistant and Senior Care Assistant - once I had my children I changed to the Administration role which I really do enjoy.

I am here to ensure that our residents and their families are fully supported and I it is a real pleasure to meet and greet all of the visitors and guests to our lovely home.

Having been at Hickathrift House for such a long time, I feel very attached to it and all of the home's community friends that have been made over the years too!

Hello, my name is Kat and I am the Activities Lead here at Hickathrift House.

Since 2017 I have been working in the field of well-being and I am passionate and enthusiastic about enriching all our of residents' quality of life. 

As the Activities Lead at Hickathrift House, my focus is learning about each of our resident's likes and dislikes and supporting them to remain receptive and active in addition to supporting them to engage with our local community friends.

I organise activities to stimulate the mind, body and soul in an enjoyable, comfortable way. My aim is to diversify and increase activities ensuring that there is something for everyone - from Wine and Cheese events, excursions on our home Mini Bus as well as individual bespoke person-centered activities.

Hi, my name is Andy. I'm the Head Chef here at Hickathrift House. I've been a chef for 35 years working for the BBC, Channel 4 and Great Ormond Street Hospital as well as many other great places around London.

I have worked in care homes since 2009 and moved to Barchester in 2023. I pride myself on providing the best we can do for our residents especially those on adapted diets.

The food that we produce is always cooked to the highest standard, using the freshest products. I am looking forward to how we can help our residents now and in the future. 

Hello, my name is Gerry and I joined the team here at Hickathrift House in 2012.

I started as the Gardener and have always assisted with maintaining the home - becoming the Head of Maintenance here in 2022.

I am responsible for all aspects of our home maintenance and Health and Safety at Hickathrift House whilst ensuring our residents home is just how they want it.

Hello, my name is Barrie, I moved into Hickathrift House in 2021 and have a great relationship with staff and residents here. I became the resident advocate for Hickathrift House in March 2022. 

I like to help residents express their views and be a friendly ear when they need it. Should there be any areas of our life here that anyone would like to discuss or suggest, such as nutrition, activities or cleanliness, please contact me and I shall bring it to attention at the next Residents Meeting.

Hello. My Name is Viv and I am the Relatives Ambassador at Hickathrift House. I started volunteering at Hickathrift House in 2024 shortly after my mum came here permanently. We both feel at home here and I love helping the residents and relatives at Hickathrift House. The staff here work really well together and it means this is a brilliant home to live in for everyone. I am now privileged to be part of the team and help provide a relative's perspective, support new residents and their relatives and a friendly ear if anyone needs it. I'm a very passionate, caring person and I am always happy to help.

Hello my name is Ann and I am the home Hairdresser here at Hickathrift House.

I am a fully qualified local hairdresser with years of experience of salon and mobile hairdressing. 

I fully understand the varied needs of individual residents and know the importance of how the trip to the salon can make someone feel. Whether it is a Trim, Perm or  Blow-Dry, I am in the home salon every Thursday and look very much forward to meeting you!

Hello, I'm Reverend Adrian Casey and I volunteer at Hickathrift House every other Monday to host religious services for the residents. During our sessions, I host meaningful bible study with residents and staff in our Snug area. Several residents at Hickathrift House are very spiritual and appreciate these regular meetings ever so much. It is my pleasure to provide this for them. I also offer one-to-one communion and spiritual support for residents and their loved ones on end-of-life care, if they wish. I feel very valued here and am glad to offer these services. 

Hello, I'm Lisa. I've been volunteering at Hickathrift House since 2022 and in 2024 I completed my Year 10 work experience here too. I enjoy meeting new residents and joining residents in activities, especially the musical events. One of my favourite activities to help organise is a board game afternoon. I've become good friends with several residents and look forward to telling them about my time at school and hearing about their life stories. When I'm old enough I'd love to work at Hickathrift House. 

Hello, I'm Rose. I live in Sheffield but have been a virtual volunteer at Hickathrift House since April 2022. I love crafting and I make the residents and staff personalised birthday cards. I post these handmade cards to the Head of Activities, Kat and she picks the perfect one for each resident. I enjoy seeing what the residents have been up to and keep in touch via the Hickathrift House Facebook page. One of my favourite ways to help is to design a big personalised birthday card for those turning 80, 90 or even for those reaching 100! From April 2024 I have been providing cards for the card stand in reception, ensuring residents can access free cards to send their loved ones for all occasions. 

Hi, I'm Portia. In 2024 I completed my college work experience at Hickathrift House. I thoroughly enjoyed working here, so I have continued volunteering with the activities team, providing amazing moments for residents. I thoroughly enjoy chatting with the residents and one of my favourite activities to help organise is nail painting and the themed parties. I've become good friends with the residents and look forward to catching up with them. I'm looking forward to working at Hickathrift House full-time when I've finished college.

Hello. My Name is Claire and this is Tinkerbell. We started volunteering at Hickathrift House in 2023 and enjoy visiting every month. Residents always have such a heartwarming visit from Tinketbell and it's an absolute delight for me to talk with them about their pets. Tinkerbell's friendly and loving nature brings immense joy to all the residents. We both especially love visiting the residents in their rooms and providing one-to-one time to all those who want it.