Getting to know Andrea Barker, HMT’s new Area Home Manager
We are delighted to welcome Andrea Barker as the new Area Home Manager for the south.
In this new role for HMT, Andrea will manage Norden House in Littlehampton, West Sussex and Marie Louise House in Romsey, Hampshire. She will be responsible for maintaining the excellent standards of personalised care across both sites, as well as ensuring a safe and positive environment for our staff. We caught up with Andrea during her first few weeks with HMT.
You recently joined HMT as our new Area Manager for the South, what attracted you to working with us?
“I wanted to work for an organisation that truly cares about people, the people who live in our homes and the staff looking after them. As soon as I met Mair and Andrew, it was clear that our values aligned. They were so warm and welcoming, that I knew it would be a good fit. I’ve not worked for a charity or not-for-profit organisation before and it’s clear that every aspect of the service is geared towards what the individual needs and wants. I’m very proud to join the team.”
What has impressed you about Norden House and Marie Louise House?
“Both locations are unique in their own way. Marie Louise is in the heart of Romsey, which is a beautiful town and has a history of providing quality, personalised care for its residents, so I am very excited about continuing that legacy. Norden House is completely new and based on a proven concept of care in Holland. The small households enable people to continue to live full and satisfying lives while receiving the support they need as individuals. I can already see the positive impact it is having on our residents, which is really wonderful.”
Tell us about your experience in the healthcare sector?
“I’ve been fortunate to have a varied career in healthcare starting with my nurse training in Southport in the early 80s before joining the Queen Alexandras Royal Naval Nursing Service where I spent nine years in service. It was a really rewarding but challenging job, which I loved. I then developed an interest in oncology and became a chemotherapy nurse at King Edwards VII Hospital. I spent two years raising my family abroad before returning and working at the Royal Haslar Hospital in Gosport. From there I spent 13 years with a private provider delivering and administering intravenous medication to people in their own homes. I had the opportunity to develop my skills and spent time as a regional manager, a clinical director and in business development. I then moved on to other care providers before joining HMT. I’ve had lots of different roles and I’ve enjoyed them all and learnt so much. I’ll be using all of this experience in my new job at HMT.”
What have been your career highlights to date?
“My biggest career highlight was also my biggest disappointment. I took a role with a care provider to help improve one of their homes, which had a disappointing CQC review. Within a few months, the inspectors came back to the home and moved the rating to require improvement. Six months later, we received a good rating. It was amazing to see the team pull together, make the changes that were needed and deliver what the residents and their families needed. Sadly, after I had moved on from this provider, the home went back to old ways and the ratings fell back down again. But that experience showed me what can be done if you put the resident at the centre of everything you do.”
What excites you most about your new role?
“I’m really excited about getting to know each member of the team at each location and being able to support them in the great work they are doing. I’m excited to form relationships with each resident and their family and to hear all about their life story and experiences.”
Do you have any plans for each site yet?
“It’s still early days but I hope to develop activities for our residents. I’m going to create a wish tree for residents to share their wishes and we will see if we can make them come true. Watch this space!”