You bring a lot of experience to United Response how will you help our organisation?

I’m really delighted to work at United Response, because my passion is social care. I bring a wealth of knowledge and a genuine drive to make our organisation the best it can be for the people we support. I worked in local government for 17 years, where I was a social worker before becoming a director of social services, where my job was to buy the types of services that we provide. I then spent the last six years working at one of our regulators, the Care Quality Commission. Now, working for a provider, which I think of as the third side of the same triangle, I arrive knowing what it’s like to be under pressure in a local authority, where finances are very tight. And I understand what constitutes good quality care, as a regulator. This means I can put all my knowledge into action to run the best organisation possible, ensuring we deliver the most outstanding care.

What plans do you have for the future of United Response?

I’ve got three priorities for United Response. My first priority is quality – It’s really important that the 3000 people we support all get fantastic care. My second priority is financial sustainability. United Response has been here for 50 years. I want to make sure that I do everything I can to do so it’s here for another 50 years. And my final priority is about our strategy. My long-term vision is that we involve the people we support in every aspect of how we run the organisation so we focus on the things that are going to make the biggest difference. Everyone I’ve met at United Response is very values-driven, so they really care about what we’re trying to do.

And, they are motivated to ensure we provide high-quality care and remain financially sustainable. My job is to make sure we’ve got the right vision and direction so that we all keep pulling in the same direction, with the people we support.

Can you tell me about some projects you have visited?

I’ve visited Potter’s Den allotment in Bristol, and the best way I could describe it is that just felt quite magic. I spent a few hours with the people we support having an amazing conversation. It happened to be local elections on that day, so we were talking about whether people were going to go and vote.

I’ve also visited Boscawen farm down in Cornwall where I walked an alpaca. It was wonderful to see how lovely it is for people to be in that outdoors environment, doing physical activities that they enjoyed. Then I visited our services in York, where we support people who have an interest in media. I met people who were recording a podcast, and someone else was editing a video. I’ve also been to quite a lot of supported living services, to people’s homes, and a couple of our residential homes as well. Everywhere I’ve gone, I have met really dedicated colleagues who work for us and people we support who have a lot of positive things to say about the support they’re getting.

So you’re willing to help people get better achievements?

Everyone deserves to live a great life, and it’s really important we understand what that looks like for the people we support. It could be renting their own home, or living in a place they choose so they can walk to get a coffee or go on a bus. When I was at our People’s Forum in Derby and I asked what our priorities should be, everyone said they wanted to feel as safe on public transport and in the community as they do when United Response supports them. They said our job should be fighting for the rights of all disabled people so that people felt free from hate crime or discrimination. That was a powerful message that came out of the People’s Forum and one that will help us as we set out our new strategy.

And one last question, what do you do in your spare time?

I’m a mum, I’ve got two kids, two daughters, aged 16 and 13…

…That’s another job, isn’t it?

Yes, another job in itself! I love to run in my spare time, but I’ve never run more than a half-marathon. I know our fundraising team are keen for me to take on the London Marathon to fundraise for our services, so you might see me there one day. I’ve recently started weight training twice a week and I’m absolutely loving that. I also try to meditate most days, if I can. I’ve got a Headspace app on my phone, so I try to do 10 minutes of sitting quietly, just concentrating on my breathing and quietening my thoughts. And then I like to go out and see my friends a couple of times a month to catch up with them.

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