Kay’s journey at Hengist Field is one of real inspiration. She began as a Care Assistant and progressed to a Senior Carer and then Kitchen Assistant. After two years’ training she became the Head Chef and Kitchen Manager in 2018.
Kay loves the challenge and variety of her role, catering for the individual needs of her Home’s residents and families.
“I began working at Hengist Field Care Home in November 2011 at the start of my career and I arrived when the Home first opened, taking a position as a Carer.
The Home was still being established, so I would not only care for our residents, but would also be involved in anything and everything – from hanging curtains to moving furniture around the Home. Everything was very hands-on and there was a lot to do!
I worked on the Dementia Unit which, at the time, was the whole upstairs of the building; downstairs was a Nursing Unit. I enjoyed this challenging role and worked for about two and a half years before being promoted to a Senior Carer.
One day our Chef couldn’t come in, so I volunteered to help in the kitchen; I prepared breakfast for our residents, then lunch, and also helped prepare a cold meal for supper. I really enjoyed this, and after working for a couple of years as a Senior Carer, I went on to work split shifts – working in the Care Team three days a week, and then helping in kitchen for two days.
One day our Operations Manager Silvia came in and asked me if I would like to apply for the Head Chef position. I had already had experience from being a Kitchen Assistant so was happy to try, as was successful in my application. I completed all the necessary training required, including catering courses, and took on the role as Head Chef.
There is a huge responsibility with the Head Chef position and lots of things to take into consideration when you have 75 residents to cater for – not only preparing meals, but also preparing the right type of food which is specifically designed to meet the individual needs of the residents. This includes clinical needs, allergies, nutritional needs, food consistency, and calorie intake – not forgetting everyone’s different taste in food and offering choices. If the basic rules of catering for elderly residents is not considered, it could have a devastating impact on their health, so the role has a very big part to play with the overall well-being of our residents.
I have been involved in training team members from other Nellsar Care Homes and work with a really great team of people. We work hard to produce good quality, nutritional menus, giving our residents what they would like by involving them in choosing their menus. We also cater for other events in our Home, such as training days, birthdays and special calendar days.
I’m still enjoying the challenge and the varied role I have, as every day is different. Food plays a huge role within our Home and I’m proud of my part in keeping our residents and their families well-nourished and well taken care of.”
