Meet the team

Our wonderful team comprises nurses, carers, activities coordinators, chefs, housekeepers and more. These people are here to ensure that residents enjoy their time at the home and are supported to live life to the fullest. Meet some of our staff below:

Care homes and elderly care from Barchester Healthcare

Helen Abigail

General Manager

Hi, my name is Helen, and I am the General Manager here at Ritson Lodge. I hope you find what you're looking for on our website.

I am a Registered Nurse with over 25 years of surgical and medical experience in both private and NHS settings. I was a senior nurse in Orthopedics and spent many years working with older people on a medical ward.

I have worked at Ritson Lodge since August 2014, beginning as a Head of Unit on our Memory Lane Community, and was then promoted to the role of Deputy Manager before becoming the General Manager. I am passionate about what I do and take great pride in providing high quality care to those we support.

Kara Shimmins

Deputy Manager

My name is Kara and I am the Deputy Manager here at Ritson Lodge.

I have over nine years of experience within the care sector, beginning my career in housekeeping and, shortly after, moving into catering.

Whilst working as a Carer, I developed a passion for helping and caring for others. I soon progressed, developing my skills and knowledge and eventually becoming a Senior Carer. I then pushed my career further by gaining my level 5 Management in Health and Social Care.

Working my way up has given me a unique insight into all the different job roles that help to run a care home, enabling me to be more knowledgeable in my current role.

Kayleigh Wing

Head of Nursing

Hello, my name is Kayleigh and I am Head of Nursing here at Ritson Lodge.

I am a Registered Adult Nurse and have lots of experience within the care sector in a variety of settings. Over the years, I have progressed through the ranks, originally starting as a care worker and eventually becoming an RGN.

I bring with me experience in a variety of fields, including emergency medicine, general medicine, surgical nursing, and knowledge of community and mental health settings. I have a BSc in Adult Nursing, as well as enhanced post-registration nurse training. I am also able to offer a fresh insight into current nursing practice and leadership theories.

I have a great desire to provide person-centred care and to enable residents to live their life to the fullest. I am committed to improving their experiences within the home and I always strive to be an advocate for those in my care.

Angela Williams

Head of Memory Lane

Hi, my name is Angela and I am the Head of Memory Lane here at Ritson Lodge.

I started working here as a Senior Carer over 10 years ago when I relocated from York. I transferred over from a sister home. At Ritson Lodge, I was promoted to the position of Home Trainer and eventually completed my Care Practitioner Course to become the Head of Memory Lane.

My aim is to deliver exceptional care to those we support and inspire my team of dedicated Carers and Nurses to work towards the same high standards.

I am committed and very passionate about everything I do and believe in giving the residents lots of personal choices, as Ritson Lodge is their home, so they should have the right to decide what goes on here.

I love working here, as every day is different, but very rewarding.

Julie Durrant

Head of Residential

My name is Julie and I am the Head of Residential here at Ritson Lodge. I have over 25 years' experience in both the private sector and the NHS. During this time, I gained several health and social care qualifications.

Before joining the Ritson Lodge family in August 2017, I worked for 5 years as a Deputy Manager in a different residential care home. My goal is to provide high quality, person-centred care to those we support.

Clair Overy

Administrator

Hello my name is Clair, I started my Barchester career in another Barchester home and then transferred when Ritson Lodge was being built. I deal with all of the administrative side of things for the home including all of the financial aspects. I aim to provide an efficient service to Residents, Relatives and staff alike. Ritson lodge provides a friendly, welcoming place where residents, families, visitors and staff feel at home.

Julia Osborne

Admin Assistant & Receptionist

My name is Julia and I joined Barchester after having previously worked in a receptionist position at another private organisation.

I have many years experience of working with people and in administration, having spent most of my career in hospitals and universities.

I enjoy every aspect of this role, especially meeting residents and their loved ones, and aim to provide an exceptional service at all times.

I look forward to welcoming you to Ritson Lodge.

Anna Montague

Activities Coordinator

I came to Ritson Lodge in 2015 as a Night Carer and soon got involved with organising activities. Eventually, I was asked to join the activities team because of my natural enthusiasm.

Since becoming an Activities Coordinator, I have started new groups within the home and local community, and developed the home's activities programme.

I really love my job!

Sandra Fokkema

Admin Assistant & Receptionist

My name is Sandra and I work at Ritson Lodge as an Administrative Assistant and Receptionist. I’m here to meet and greet visitors and help out with any questions or queries they may have.

I have previous office experience within a shipping company; I was there for 7 years dealing mainly with the purchase ledger inputting and general office duties.

Paul Harte

Maintenance Manager

As Maintenance Manager Paul makes sure the home and gardens are looked after to a high standard, he is also the key contact on site for outside contractors. He will make sure every resident's stay here is trouble free and as comfortable as possible and he is the person to go to for any problems within the rooms or home.

Carl Marjoram

Head Chef

As Head Chef, Carl will make sure that every meal time is of a high standard and enjoyed by our residents. Carl is responsible for meeting any special dietary requirements. He enjoys providing quality food and catering to our visitors, relatives and guests whenever they visit Ritson Lodge.

Lorraine Fisher

Senior Carer

Hi, my name is Lorraine and I started working at Ritson Lodge in 2014. I am a Senior Carer and I enjoy my job.

I qualified in 2004 and have worked in care for over 25 years. I had a break whilst I studied as a chef and worked in a few restaurants.

I enjoy cooking for the Chefs when they are away and, in my spare time, I love baking cakes and gardening.

Andy Wise

Second Chef