UNITY CARE SOLUTIONS LIMITED - Key Persons
My name is Becky Crowhurst, I work at Head Office co-ordinating training packages for Personal Health Budget staff. I have previously worked within Unity Care Solutions as both a Care Assistant and Recruitment Manager and so have a fairly well-rounded knowledge of the company and what it stands for. Being part of such a supportive team of people is really important to me and one of Unity's many strengths. I have many years' experience of working within both the health care sector as well as education which have both provided me with a lot of knowledge around supporting children and meeting a wide variety of needs. Outside of work, I enjoy reading and writing novels as well as spending time with family and getting creative whenever I can.
My name is Carleigh Wallace and I have been working in the care sector for over 18 years in a variety of roles, which has included working with the elderly in the community, children with complex health needs in their homes, supporting other staff in a care coordinator role and working as an emergency medical advisor for the ambulance service.
Job Titles:
- Registered Manager
- Registered Manager ( Sussex )
I joined UCS in November 23, as Registered Manger based in Lewes, prior to this I have led a varied career within the care sector, spanning over 30 years. I first started back in the 80's as a care worker looking after people in a Residential setting. Where I remained for 5 years, it was here that my passion developed and it became very apparent that I loved what I was doing and wanted to progress. Following this I moved to the Conquest hospital, and joined the bank at the local hospice, assisting whenever I could. I became a Manger 20 years ago in Residential settings originally working with ESCC, when this home closed, I completed a Business Degree at Brighton Uni, to aid and assist me with my quest in the realms of Management within care settings. Following this I embarked on working in the Community assisting clients in their own homes to remain independent.
Throughout my career, I have gained experience working with individuals with life limiting illnesses, tracheostomies, catheter care, diabetes, epilepsy, wound care and end of life. I have managed teams of carers and nurses, arranged many charity events raising needed funds for worthwhile causes, from abseiling to full gala drag nights, all of which were great fun.
I am very passionate about care and providing care that is tailored to meet the desired goals of the individual clients.
Job Titles:
- Quality Monitoring Manager
Job Titles:
- Care Co - Ordinator
- Care Co - Ordinator ( Lewes )
Job Titles:
- Branch Manager - ( Kent )
- Senior Care Co - Ordinator ( Head Office )
I have worked with children throughout my whole career, starting out as a school classroom assistant, followed by managing a day nursery before getting the opportunity to work for 10 years in the Disabled Children Team (Social Services) supporting children with a wide range of disabilities, and this is where I first started working with Unity Care Solutions.
I then took an opportunity and joined Unity Care Solutions in September 2014 as a care coordinator within the Kent branch, since then I have progressed to a Senior Care Coordinator.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Support ( Head Office )
I'm Laura and I am the Head Office Admin Support where I assist the Quality Monitoring Manager and the Finance Manager. I am very new to Unity Care Solutions having started only at the beginning of May 2022.
Prior to joining the Unity Care Solutions Team, I worked for 35 years in the Cosmetics industry covering roles in the Production, IT, Finance and Human Resources Departments.
I am very much looking forward to becoming an integral part of a very special team.
Job Titles:
- Recruitment & Compliance Manager ( Head Office )
My name is Liam and I'm the recruitment and compliance manager here at Unity Care Solutions.
I've been at Unity for just over two years now starting as a recruitment administrator, moving on to manage the department and now branching out into compliance. I'm very techy, have an army of cats and can honestly say that working at Unity has been the best decision i have ever made.
Job Titles:
- Case Manager
- Nurse
- Nurse Case Manager ( Kent )
Before I began my nurse training, I cared for adults with severe learning disabilities in the community setting which I really enjoyed and led me to my nursing career. After completing training at great Ormond St hospital in 2002, I remained there for 3 years on the urology and renal unit there (with some world travelling in the middle!).
Wanting to move back to Kent and gain my general paediatric nursing, I started work at my local paediatric ward which gave me a number of skills. Feeling pulled towards caring for children with complex care needs, I worked as part of the nursing team at Valance school and then with Demelza children's hospice. Both of which demonstrating how to care for children and families in these settings, considering family centred care as well as holistic care at all times.
I returned to our paediatric unit in 2014 and after having my eldest was offered the role of paediatric epilepsy nurse in 2017. This role was a whole new challenge with a huge learning curve. I had a wonderful team around me and although the workload was very heavy, I was very proud of the service we provided and the trusting relationships we formed with the families.
I started working at Unity care solutions (Kent branch) in 2022 as a nurse case manager and hope that my skills and experience will be beneficial to the team and the families under our care. I'm excited about this new challenge.
I have 2 children and a rescue dog called Murphy. I love going on family woodland walks.
My whole working career has been in the care sector where I have worked from care worker to care co-ordinator, then into management before becoming the owner of Unity Care Solutions in 2006. I believe my passion for care and support for people comes from the experiences I have encountered in my own family; from losing my father to cancer at a very young age to very close family members suffering with lifelong conditions.
Being involved in this sector is not just about work, it is a deep-rooted desire driven by a strong empathy to understand a person's life journey and help in times that can be very challenging and difficult to deal with. I am so proud of the Team that represent Unity Care Solutions from the Nurses and Carers within the field, to the office teams and external professionals that support our services.
There is a common theme throughout the company of a desire to want to deliver the best service we can, and if we need to develop and learn we embrace and welcome change.
My name is Michelle Pickard and I first started working in care in 1990 at the age of 16. I have worked in various different care settings over the years which has included supporting the elderly in residential and nursing homes, working within hospitals, mental health, adolescent services and also within the domiciliary community setting.
My name is Paul Collins and I am the Registered Manager for our Southampton branch.
Job Titles:
- Case Manager
- Nurse
- Nurse Case Manager ( Kent )
Job Titles:
- Finance Manager
- Accounts Manager ( Head Office )
I became Accounts Manager at Unity Care Solutions in the middle of September 2020 where I am based at Head Office. Keeping accurate, up to date financial records is vital to any business and with 25 years of experience in bookkeeping I hope to achieve this in my role at Unity Care. I am responsible for anything from processing day to day bank transactions, to monthly invoicing and debt management. I am also responsible for producing and delivering financial reports to the Managing Director and Branch Managers as well as preparing our end of year accounts for our accountant to draw up annual accounts.
I started my career in care in 2007 following my maternity leave after having my son and I was looking for a new challenge. My first introduction into care was working for a domiciliary agency as a recruitment administrator and I worked my way up to care co-ordinator within that company. I knew from this point I had a real passion for the care industry and wanted to develop further and learn more. I then moved into a role as a Care Team Leader at an extra care housing establishment where we provided care for adults over the age of 65 with varying care needs.
In 2013, I moved to Unity Care Solutions as a senior care co-ordinator as I wanted to explore care services outside of ‘elderly' care and was excited by the services Unity were providing within the community. I loved getting to learn more about complex care and caring for children with additional needs. In 2015 I had the opportunity to become the Registered Manager for the Kent branch and in March 2020 I also became the temporary Manager for Lewes until the new manager was recruited and settled into the role. I have also achieved my Level 5 qualification in Leadership and Management in Health & Social Care in 2018.
During my time as Registered Manager and running the service in Kent, although I found it could be challenging at times, more importantly it was so rewarding!! The office team are all amazing and each of them share my passion and drive to ensure that the clients being supported receive the best possible care and support.
My name is Sarah and I am a paediatric nurse case manager. I qualified as a paediatric nurse in 2000. I spent 3 years at Great Ormond Street Hospital post qualification, learning specialised care and then consolidated more basic nursing practices on the children's ward at my local hospital before following my passion in complex care. On the wards, I felt I was unable to give children, young people and their families the full and varied support that was needed for them due to time restraints and job expectations. On one occasion, I spent the 10 minutes needed for a 13yr old young person to use her non-verbal skills to tell me she was in pain but I found that due of the shear workload on the ward this wasn't always possible to do. I decided I wanted to be able to make a bigger difference in complex care needs and moved to Demelza House children's hospice where I worked for 9 years before joining Unity Care Solutions. I learnt an enormous amount whilst working at Demelza and have been able to see developments in practice and changes in the healthcare needs of the clients we supported. Health needs are becoming more and more complex and that means more expectations on families and community services. There are often gaps in community services for these individuals but working in this job role gave me the opportunity to try to close some of those gaps.
My name is Steve Smith and I am the Nurse Case Manager/ Clinical Lead for our Southampton Branch. I joined Unity Care Solutions in March 2022 to continue my passion in delivering quality care to children and adults with complex health and social needs.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Nurse Lead ( Head Office )
I started my nursing career in the mid 1980's.
I knew as soon as I started my training that it was the vocation for me.
I have seen so many changes over the years but the abiding thing for me is the passion a person needs to be in healthcare underpins everything.
Job Titles:
- Registered Manager
- Registered Manager ( Kent )
My Name is Zoe Beadle, and I am the Registered Manager for our Kent Branch.
I qualified as a Paediatric Nurse from the University of Greenwich in 2015 and since then I have had an 8-year career within the NHS. My roles have varied in settings across the acute, emergency and community fields. I have gained experience in intensive care, emergency care, general paediatrics, Neonatal care, complex care and safeguarding. Not only have I provided patient care I have also held managerial roles within the NHS.
I joined Unity Care Solutions in December 2023 after deciding to make the transition to complex care, which has been my passion for many years after being an ADHOC complex care nurse in Kent. I am looking forward to supporting and enhancing the delivery of care for our clients and their families. Family centred care has been the focus of my career to date; this ethos will continue to drive the care, communication and compassion the Kent team will deliver.
In my personal life, I enjoy travelling the world, nights out to the theatre (I love musical theatre; as a teen I performed at the London Palladium) and spending time with my full of life cocker spaniel.