Helen Orton

As the Registered Manager overseeing two care homes, I manage the overall governance, compliance, and quality of care across both sites. While day-to-day operations are managed by General Managers, I am responsible for ensuring that both homes meet and exceed regulatory standards, including maintaining "Good" CQC ratings. I lead the strategic direction, implementing quality improvements, ensuring compliance, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Additionally, I oversee all governance activities, manage audits, and ensure that all regulatory notifications and responses are handled in a timely and efficient manner.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Strategic Oversight: Provide strategic leadership and support to the General Managers, ensuring the operational success of both homes. Offer guidance and oversight in areas such as staff management, care delivery, and service improvement, while ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements.
• Governance & Compliance: Lead the governance framework for both homes, ensuring robust systems are in place to meet CQC requirements. Monitor compliance across all areas including health & safety, safeguarding, care standards, and environmental safety. Conduct regular audits to ensure all processes align with current best practices and regulatory standards.
• CQC & Regulatory Inspections: Prepare and manage CQC inspections, ensuring that both homes consistently maintain a "Good" rating. Lead response activities for CQC notifications and action plans based on findings, implementing improvements to achieve excellence in care standards. Successfully navigated inspections with the Integrated Care Board (ICB), receiving positive feedback on improvements made.
• KPI Management & Quality Improvement: Oversee the establishment and monitoring of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for care quality, staff performance, and operational efficiency. Implement continuous quality improvement initiatives based on audit results, performance data, and feedback from residents and families.
• Complaints & Compliments Management: Oversee the investigation and response process for all complaints and compliments, ensuring timely and thorough resolutions. Use feedback to drive service improvements and ensure that both homes provide high-quality care that meets the expectations of residents and families.
• Safeguarding & Incident Management: Ensure all safeguarding protocols are in place and staff are trained to respond effectively to concerns. Lead safeguarding investigations and manage incident reporting in accordance with local and national guidelines.
• Staff Training & Development: Ensure that staff are trained and updated on all mandatory areas, including safeguarding, first aid, infection control, and care delivery. Lead initiatives for professional development and continuing education, ensuring staff competency and compliance with regulatory training requirements.
• Have undertook investigations, disciplinary and dismissals while working here.
• CQC Folders & Documentation: Maintain and oversee the management of CQC folders, ensuring that all required documentation is up-to-date, accurate, and in compliance with CQC regulations. Lead the development and implementation of care plans, risk assessments, and policies.
• Stakeholder Communication & Engagement: Maintain strong relationships with external stakeholders including families, healthcare professionals, the CQC, ICB, and other regulatory bodies. Facilitate regular communication to ensure all parties are informed of care progress and any issues that may arise.

Key Achievements:

• Maintained "Good" CQC ratings for both care homes, overseeing significant improvements in care quality, operational efficiency, and compliance.
• Successfully led improvements in care delivery, resulting in positive feedback from both the CQC and ICB during joint inspections.
• Streamlined audit and governance processes, reducing response times and improving overall care delivery across both sites.
• Played a pivotal role in fostering a positive, supportive environment, with measurable increases in resident and family satisfaction

Registered Care Home Manager

As the Registered Care Home Manager, I was responsible for overseeing the operational, financial, and regulatory aspects of the care home. I led the team in delivering high-quality care to residents while ensuring strict adherence to all relevant compliance frameworks and industry standards. Upon taking on the role, I successfully led the care home out of a suspension imposed by the Integrated Care Board (ICB), lifting the suspension within 8 weeks through effective leadership, staff development, and rigorous compliance measures.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Staff Management: Directed and supported a diverse team of healthcare professionals, including carers, nurses, and support staff. Managed recruitment, training, and performance assessments, ensuring a well-staffed, skilled, and motivated team. Developed and implemented strategies to improve staff retention and engagement.
• Regulatory Compliance & Governance: Ensured the care home consistently met regulatory standards, including those set by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), local authorities, and the ICB. Took the lead in overseeing audits, implementing corrective actions, and ensuring that all care delivery met legislative and organizational standards. Managed the governance framework, including regular reporting to senior stakeholders.
• Audit & Quality Assurance: Conducted regular internal audits to assess the quality of care, medication management, risk assessments, and safety procedures. Led improvements based on audit outcomes and ensured that the home maintained high standards of care in line with regulatory requirements.
• Rota & Staffing Management: Managed the care home’s staff rota to ensure that all shifts were adequately covered, complying with staffing regulations while remaining within budget. Coordinated leave requests, overtime, and shift patterns to ensure smooth day-to-day operations and optimal care delivery.
• Mental Health Act (MHA) & Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS): Applied the principles of the Mental Health Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards to protect the rights of residents. Ensured that all legal and procedural requirements were followed for assessments, authorizations, and reviews in line with best practice.
• Recruitment & Admissions: Led the recruitment process to ensure that the care home was staffed with suitably qualified and compassionate staff. Managed the admissions process, ensuring smooth transitions for new residents, with a focus on person-centered care and meeting individual care needs.
• Financial Management & Budgeting: Oversaw the financial performance of the care home, managing the budget to ensure cost-effective delivery of care. Monitored expenditure, controlled costs, and made strategic decisions to ensure financial sustainability without compromising quality.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Maintained effective communication with residents, families, healthcare professionals, and regulatory bodies. Addressed concerns, facilitated regular care reviews, and ensured the home maintained strong relationships with all stakeholders.
• Policy & Procedure Development: Developed, reviewed, and implemented care policies and procedures to ensure compliance with national and local standards. Regularly updated staff training programs to reflect any changes in legal or regulatory requirements.

Key Achievements:

• Led the care home through a period of significant challenge, lifting the suspension imposed by the Integrated Care Board (ICB) within 8 weeks through swift corrective actions, staff retraining, and policy changes.
• Established a strong framework for regulatory compliance, ensuring the home remained in good standing with all regulatory bodies.
• Developed a robust, responsive staffing structure that ensured the delivery of high-quality care while minimizing turnover

During this role I have again supported a commissioning home where everything needs to be developed and implemented to establish the service. Here I have ensured the safe running of the medications and clinic rooms, ensuring posters, policies, books, charts and records are in place to safely run the business. I have also overseen the staff, ran and held meetings, developed staff, overseen the standards of care plans and followed compliance. At Darcy house I have also supported with the photoshoot of the home working with externals and marketing to ensure the home is showcased to its full potential. I carryout home visits and walkarounds with clients where I will book and undertake assessments promptly and safely to fill the home with residents. Alongside the standards of care encompassed by the companies values, I also support the business of retaining beds and filling them.

• Maintained smooth-running business operations by delegating priorities to staff abilities.
• Monitored health and safety measures for guaranteed compliance.
• Upskilled staff through targeted training opportunities, enhancing team capabilities.
• Monitored weekly performance reports, analysing and interpreting data to improve day-to-day business operations.
• Planned revenue generation strategies designed for growth.
• Setting up the clinic rooms and ensuring they meet regulation
• Walk arounds and selling the home and care we provide,
• Booking assessments and bringing in residents to the home.
• Using the systems in place such as planday, EMAR, Found and comcare.
• Conducted audits and risk assessments to achieve regulatory compliance.
• Maintained excellent client relationships by dealing with queries and complaints calmly and professionally.
• Investigations for disciplinaries.

In this tole i supported with opening a brand new male PICU unit for cygnet in nottingham, here I have overseen the team, implemented changed, identified problems and teething errors and have come up with service improvements and solutions to manage this. I set up the clinic with all equipment and following policies and standards to be able to meet the standards expected by the company and CQC.

I supported with clients, NHS wales as a client to use the service and send their patients to the units and supported with bed management negotiations. Billed funders when extra services had been undertaken such as 1:1, seclusion and enhanced observations.

• Sitrep meetings
• Medication competencies for all new staff.
• Audits
• Oversee Datix reviews
• Oversaw, trained and mentored student and junior nursing staff.
• Monitored patient behaviour and responses to treatments and reported concerns to senior staff.
• Assisted team with developing balanced care plans incorporating physical, mental and social needs.
• Complied with quality healthcare standards to uphold hospital reputation.
• Dressed surgical wounds, monitored healing and replaced bandages to prevent infections. Alongside body map and communication with team including photo documentation.
• Dealt with emergencies with calm and composure.
• Used critical thinking to break down problems, evaluate solutions and make decisions.
• Developed appropriate resources to meet needs of patients and staff.
• Kept appropriate stock levels to match expected demand. Implimented the stock ordering system, developed the
• Delegated clinical nursing tasks to meet patients' care requirements.
• Implemented clear quality standards to maintain first-class patient provisions.
• Maintained a safe ward environment by ensuring standards of cleanliness in clinical areas.
• Managed complaints, ensuring ward team proactively engaged with patients and families to achieve best outcome.
• Overseen compliance of cygnet policies and procedures.
• Leading and motivating staff.
• Developed and implemented cleaning schedule.
• Supporting incidents and debreif.

• Led staff to improve patient care through valuable coaching, teaching and mentoring.
• Advised on dietary, nutrition and illness prevention.
• Coordinated care across large wards based on patient priorities and requests.
• Followed modern nursing standards for optimum treatments and patient protection.
• Worked with clinical team to carry out prescribed treatments addressing individual patient needs.
• Maintained comprehensive patient care plans and monitored implementation of physicians' orders.
• Identified areas in need of clinical improvement and implemented process changes to accommodate.
• Coordinated and performed patient admissions, transfers and discharges.
• Dressed surgical wounds, monitored healing and replaced bandages to prevent infections.
• Documented and evaluated effectiveness of care plans and interventions.
• Recognised and managed workplace risks, immediately determining best methods for resolution.
• Supported physicians and consultants with tests and procedures.
• Encouraged learning appropriate learning opportunities for staff members, promoting best practices for high-quality patient care.
• Determined and implemented nursing standards and structures for better patient care practices.
• Oversaw, trained and mentored student and junior nursing staff.
• Collaborated with multidisciplinary healthcare specialists to devise, implement and modify plans of care defining patient outcome goals.
• Performed patient evaluations and developed care plans in alignment with needs.
• Participated in health education programmes and nurse education activities in clinical and community settings.
• Worked closely with fellow nursing professionals to identify strategies for practice development and improvement.
• Assisted team with developing balanced care plans incorporating physical, mental and social needs.

Overseeing all physical health needs across the four wards of the hospital including:

Wound dressings

Clinical Assessments of patients – reviewing physical health, intervening and escalating to medics if appropriate to bridge the gap between nursing and doctors and prevent too many nursing decisions being escalated unnecessarily.

Physical Health care Plans

Skeleton care plans for the nursing team to use with general health and medications

Staple/suture removal

Liaise with district nurses/TVN/Diabetes nurses.

Diabetes management:

Care plans with the doctors,

Phone calls when off duty to advice on management

Delivering training sessions

Auditing diabetes care

Supporting the ward nurses with advice, management and overseeing their careplans and medication management for more complex conditions or medications.

Bloods and ECG

HDAT monitoring, care plans and ensuring all paperwork, legal framework and policies are being adhered to.

Capacity assessments, chairing the meetings for BIM, documenting it all and organising this across the MDT.

Attending management emergency meetings or other meetings to support ward staff.

Weekly GP calls with the medics to communicate physical health

Ordering/monitoring consumables

Attending morning meeting and picking up actions or deciding on what to do

Flu Clinic

Supervising/overseeing staff with clinical skills and signing off

Medication management document for nurses.

Generating documents for the wards to use to monitor new presentation such as constant vomiting, sleep charts etc.

• Led staff to improve patient care through valuable coaching, teaching and mentoring.
• Coordinated care across large wards based on patient priorities and requests.
• Followed modern nursing standards for optimum treatments and patient protection.
• Maintained comprehensive patient care plans and monitored implementation of physicians' orders.
• Built and maintained excellent rapport with patients and loved ones.
• Communicated with external departments to facilitate critical patient admissions.
• Coordinated and performed patient admissions, transfers and discharges.
• Documented and evaluated effectiveness of care plans and interventions.
• Medication Rounds
• Following PBSP
• Managing and leading the ward team.

Working on an Acute Medical Unit as a student and registered nurse I have adapted to a dynamic and fast paced environment. Due to AMU being a general speciality, I have cared for many patients with varying levels of health needs and cognitive abilities. My responsibilities include, admitting new patients to the ward from A&E and documenting all of the appropriate paperwork needed for their stay at the hospital. I complete risk assessments, document clinical incident reports and make referrals to departments such as SALT and Physiotherapy. I maintain outstanding patient care levels through attentive, compassionate monitoring of physical and mental wellbeing, and where needed, appropriate delegation and communication with patients or caregivers. Due to the variety of patients within the general acute setting I often need to assess and make decisions for the patients safety due to their cognitive function and vulnerable status, this includes documenting safeguarding, MCA and DoLLs, I liaise with support workers, mental health nurses and physiotherapists to ensure that vulnerable patients are cared for. Excellent documentation of all clinical interventions, medication, care plans and interactions with the MDT, patient, family members or care providers.

I maintain a safe environment for patients and staff supporting HCA and communicating with appropriate Chanel’s. I Monitor and record patient condition by monitoring skin integrity and carrying out and reporting regular observations. My outstanding planning allows me to safely care for up to 12 patients, I prioritise health problems to assist patients in complex, urgent or emergency situations, as well as liaising with senior physicians to plan timely, successful patient discharges.

To ensure that all of my current practice is best and up to date in line with the NMC requirements I attend further training sessions to develop and improve my practice.

• Greeted incoming customers in a professional manner and provided friendly, knowledgeable assistance.
• Kept reception area clean and neat to give visitors a positive impression of the company.
• Answered and helped resolve enquiries from clients, vendors and general public.
• Managed office inventory to ensure timely ordering and replenishment of low-level stock.
• Managed bookings using Booker software to schedule, cancel and re-arrange appointments.
• Provided clerical support to company employees, including copying, faxing and file management.
• Delivered front of house duties with warm and professional manner.
• Coordinated maintenance services to achieve fully-functional office space.