June 2024: Extra Care Court Newsletter

Message from Ally Dewar, Head of Extra Care Operations

Hello and welcome to the third update from myself. I’m Ally, Head of Extra Care Operations, and I look after the North Region for Housing 21 (H21).

As I mentioned in my first newsletter in April, I am supported by my wonderful regional team, and I thought that this month it would be nice to hear a little bit about them instead of myself for a change. I now have the pleasure of introducing to you the members of our North Senior Leadership Team, starting with my Deputy, David McGee.

Hello, my name is David McGee, and I am the Deputy Head of Extra Care for the North and I also work alongside five Regional Extra Care Managers who all form part of Ally’s North Senior Leadership Team.

I have worked for Housing 21 for approaching nine years, starting my career as a Housing and Care Manager, then as a Regional Extra Care Manager and progressing to my current role, during which time I have seen firsthand the difference living in an Extra Care scheme can make to the lives of our residents. This is what I am most proud of and continue to work daily to ensure that our schemes are both the best place to live for residents and work at for team members.   I now have the pleasure in introducing you to each of our five Regional Extra Care Managers and the individual patch’s (North 1-5) that they cover.

North 1 – Rose White

“Hello, I am the Regional Extra Care Manager (RECM) who covers North 1, which is Gateshead and North Tyneside.”

“I started my working life with H21 on the 27^th February 2006 as a retirement living manager.  I worked for retirement living for around five years and then progressed to Housing Manager at Linskill Park.  I then became a registered manager, working at Fountain Court and Linskill Park, and in 2017 I became a regional manager.  H21 have supported me all the way through my working career with them and I have been given the freedom to develop my skills and knowledge.”

“I love my job, and everyday throws up new challenges.  My aim is to ensure that my team provide the very best service to our residents and offer a great place to work for our team members. I am very proud to oversee the North 1 patch and have an amazing team. We continue to build on the great service we provide, and I look forward to an exciting year ahead.”

North 2 – Hilary Nicholson

“Hi, I am Hilary Nicholson, Regional Extra Care Manager for North 2, and I cover eight schemes within Sunderland, South Hetton and Peterlee areas.   I have been employed by Housing 21 for 10 years now in various roles and at three different schemes.  I am very customer focused and the residents are at the centre of everything I do.  I am very passionate about providing a great service and I love working with our all our wonderful residents and our dedicated employees. “

North 3 – Catherine Hay

“Hi – My name is Catherine Hay, I’m part of the North East team, overseeing eight schemes across North Yorkshire and East Riding, as the Regional Extra Care Manger.  I have been with Housing 21, for 18 years, working in several different roles, supporting team members and residents to make a difference, doing the right thing.  I am always committed to resident engagement, working collaboratively with residents to improve and develop services, communicating and listening has been so rewarding. I am very passionate and committed, striving to be the best to ensure that our Extra Care schemes are great places to live.”

North 4 – Dawn Hill

“Hello, I’m Dawn Hill and I’ve worked for Housing 21 for seven years. I joined in 2017 as the Housing and Care Manager at Keelboat Lodge in Sunderland. After five years in that role, I joined the Quality Team for 12 months and I’ve been in the RECM role for just over a year. I’ve enjoyed all my roles with Housing 21 – every day is different and there’s always something new to learn or a new challenge to meet. I cover North 4 as RECM; I have schemes in Penrith, North Yorkshire, Kendal and Blackburn.  I live in South Shields on the North East coast and my job does involve some travelling, so I’m very happy that my patch has to be one of the most beautiful in the country!  I am extremely proud of the work all our teams do and the positive difference we can make to the lives of the people who live and work in our schemes. However, I don’t underestimate how hard our jobs in extra care can be and I am committed to supporting our teams in any way I can.”

North 5 – Chantelle Downes

“Hi, I am Chantelle Downes, RECM for North 5 and the area I cover is Leeds, Bradford and Doncaster. I have worked for Housing 21 for 18 years and I am very proud to say this. I very much enjoy visiting all the courts and engaging with residents. I am very passionate about doing the right thing and helping residents to live happy lives within our courts. I am always happy to help in any way I can.”

It’s me again (Ally), well, I hope you enjoyed that little introduction to my wider team, and hopefully you found it useful to put a face to the names of our Deputy and Regional Managers within the North region.

I look forward to having the opportunity to meet with you in person when I am out visiting courts and I also look forward to my team and I continuing to share more information and updates on a regular basis through this newsletter.

In the interim, if you would like to keep in touch or if you have any questions for myself or my wider leadership team within the North, please get in touch via email: alastair.dewar@housing21.org.uk  

A note from Caroline Kaiser

June 2024 is a special month, as it marks the start of the events organised in our schemes to celebrate Housing 21’s 60^th Anniversary.

The local teams have gone to great lengths to organise these events and the senior management team cannot wait to join in with the celebrations at the different courts. Let us make this year a memorable one as it so rightfully deserves. There are not many registered social landlords that are focused on providing housing and care for older people of modest means and yet not compromising on the quality of service that is delivered within these courts. Housing 21 has been doing this for 60 years and here is to many more!

This desire to have the resident voice heard is the reason that we strive to have residents at our key decision-making points and are currently recruiting a Resident Board Member. Please see the posters in your courts and submit your interest.

The group board is not the only place that our residents can have their input considered. The Resident Forum is looking for more members to join it, ideally having one representative from each court. For more information about this opportunity, please speak to your Housing Manager, who will give you the relevant information.

We have also received feedback from you about what you feel would make a difference in your scheme and the local teams are working tirelessly to respond to these requests. Please do continue to approach the Housing Managers with all feedback, suggestions for improving your courts or even celebrating those things about your courts that are special and make the difference for you. We want to celebrate successes and work on where we may not be doing as well.

Next month, we will share some of the stories of the celebrations that will have already taken place.

Happy 60^th Anniversary Housing 21!