CHAIR

MELANIE RICKETT

I consider myself as a bubbly, patient person. I pride myself on the dedication that I have given to the caring profession over the past 24 years; I have spent most of my career at only three homes and gained experience in nursing the terminally ill, clients with learning disabilities and dementia care.

I am at present the manager of Oakdale Residential Home, Hadleigh, Essex and have been since January 2007, I am enjoying my position here and learn something new everyday. I have my Registered Managers award and levels 2 and 3 in Social Care

I look after 27 residential/ dementia clients here at Oakdale.  We are part of a larger group called 1st Choice Care Homes although Oakdale is the only home in Essex there are seven other homes based in Dover and Folkstone.  They are a wonderful company to work for, and care considerably about their clients and their families and our staff team.

I have recently joined SECHA and become Director in the hope that I can contribute some of my own experiences into the Committee and learn some more skills which will help me within my own job here at Oakdale.

VICE-CHAIR

BARRY GELFAND   

Working away in the background for West House for over 10 years, I was asked if I would like to join the family business as a Director, after having worked for a financial institution for 23 years.

When I agreed to take this position, I had no hands on experience of caring for Residents and no idea of what was involved.  Here I am 2 years on proud to be the Registered Manager after successfully achieving my Registered Managers Award in March of this year.

Shortly after joining West House, I became a Director of SECHA as I wanted to share my experiences with other members and benefit from other members experiences to compliment the smooth running of West House Nursing Home.

Administrator / Company Secretary.

PHILLIP ROSEMAN

For the first 32 years of my working life I worked in local solicitors practices finally specialising in Family matters.  I then completely changed my career direction and worked in a very senior position for two 32 bedded care homes in Southend – on – Sea, finally with responsibility for Human Resources (80+ staff) and  Training.

I became the Administrator of SECHA in November 2006 and Company Secretary in February 2007.
When I came to SECHA I quickly realised that more use of the internet was needed and many of its practices needed modernising.  This, I believe has been achieved.

Much more use of the website and e-mail has created a membership in touch with each other via SECHA in a way previously not achieved.  We are constantly striving to maintain our pro-active work behind the scenes for our members and our relevance to members.

MARITA COLLIN

I qualified as a State Registered Nurse in 1982, and gained BSc (Hons), ENB 998 (Teaching & Assessing), ENB 931 (Care of the Dying), ENB D01 (Promoting Health), Certificate in Dementia Care, Diploma in Nutrition and the Registered Managers Award.

I have been in various management positions since 1989, finally settling in the care home industry.  For five years I worked as a self-employed Management Consultant & Trainer for care homes before I eventually bought my own dementia care home with my husband in 2008.  I am passionate about dementia care and feel a lot more can be achieved by person-centred care and enlightenment within the work force.  For many people with dementia the problem is not the dementia but the way people without dementia treat them and make them feel.

I was requested by the Chair to join SECHA as a Director, and agreed, in order to offer my experience to the board and my expertise to its members and at the same time, be able to enrich my life long learning aspirations.

CHARLES CORMACK

Since 1992 I have worked as chief executive for The Southend-on-Sea Darby and Joan Organisation, a registered charity that provides care for the elderly by way of two registered care homes and one supportive sheltered home.  The Organisation looks after 62 elderly people, whose needs are many and varied but include physical frailty and dementia, and employs some 70 staff.
Other positions I hold are:

• Director, and past Chairman for six years, of the South Essex Care Homes Association which represents over 60 care providers,
• Chairman of Southend Association of Voluntary Services
• Chairman of the South East Essex Advocacy for Older People,
• Trustee of The Peaceful Place.
• Governor / vice chairman of a local grammar school.
• Prior to moving to the voluntary sector I worked for a major bank for 21 years.
• Skills include finance, personnel, planning/organisation.          

SARA QUICK      

I did my RGN training at Southend General Hospital, staffing on surgical, medical and Accident & Emergency with my midwifery in between.

I left the Hospital in 1989 to run a Nursing Home I liked it so much that I decided to own one myself and so in 1991 I opened Willowdale Lodge Nursing Home.

I feel strongly that our elderly population, who gave us so much, get a raw deal at times and I wanted to be able to offer care and consideration to them as best I could.

I joined SECHA and felt that it gave me a lot of help and support in my running of Willowdale Lodge.
I thought that I should give something back to the Association for all the support I had received.  I joined the Executive Committee and here I am – Chair!

MAY TANG   

I qualified as a Registered General Nurse and Registered Nurse for the Learning Disability.
I  also achieved NVQ Level 4 in Management.

I worked for the past 26 years as a manager in various NHS Trust Hospitals and Social Services Organisations.
I started business as a Care Home owner/operator in late 1999 providing residential care for people with a learning disability.

Joining SECHA has given me the opportunity to learn, network and support other learning disability care home providers.

LINDA REILLY  

I attended Goldsmiths College in London and did a Degree in Education.  I then worked with children with special needs until 1991.  After that I worked with young adults with drink and drugs problems working towards drying them out and setting them up in permanent accommodation.

In 2000 I bought Westminster House, a Home for the elderly mentally ill and that is where I am today.
I still work two days a week in London with younger addicted people.

I became a Director of SECHA in June 2007.
I also appear in ‘Who’s, Who’ in respect of my work with younger addicted people.

I have been involved in the running of a care home for 27 years.  My mum & Dad owned Sands Lodge in Westcliff-on-Sea Essex, long before I officially ran it for them.  I have worked in adult mental health for over 10 years and am now the proprietor of Crowstone Care Home trading as the Grange in Westcliff-on-Sea.  I am experienced in mental health and can assist with assessing and planning. 

I was asked to become a Director of SECHA in late 2009 and thought that I could be of great help to many care homes in many different ways using my experience and training.  I firmly believe that it is by standing together in an Association like SECHA that care homes and others delivering care can gain from each other’s experience and gain strength in numbers when dealing with Authorities.