Jemma Thompson has been working as the Operations Manager at Westall House for around 5 years now, having started as a Care Assistant from the age of 18, she has an amazing story to tell.
Can you tell me the story of how you came to work at Westall House?
“I started working at Westall House at the age of 18 as a Care Assistant every Sunday around my full-time job. I fell in love with it, so I moved over to work full-time at the house. I worked all over to begin with, as a Domestic Assistant, Care Assistant or in the kitchen washing up, whatever was needed really! Shortly after, I trained to become a Senior Care Assistant and at the age of 21 I became qualified.
“When I had my son, I changed my working pattern to night shifts so that I could work around my husband’s job and share childcare duties. I ended up having three children and when all three started primary school, I decided it was time that I went back to working day shifts. After a short time working day shifts, I was ecstatic to have been promoted to Head of Care – after which, I moved across to our Sheltered Housing and Care at Home service at Westall House.
“It was when the Care Home Manager retired that I decided to go for it and apply for the role, I had been covering the role for around 6 months anyway. I was over the moon to be offered the role of Operations Manager of Westall House! As the Operation Manager it was my job to oversee and manage the operations of all three services – Care Home, Sheltered Housing and Care at Home.
“We are now about to open our brand-new Dementia Care wing, created specifically for those with more complex care needs. So, three is about to turn into four!”