We are delighted to welcome Gladys Danquah as our home manager here at Heathlands Care Home.
Gladys, who grew up in Ghana, is an extremely well-qualified and highly experienced nurse who has spent the last 25 years working in hospitals and care/nursing homes.
From the age of six Gladys always knew that she wanted to be a nurse, an ambition honed throughout her childhood via games with her seven siblings and friends. “We used to play at doctors and nurses, and I was always the nurse,” she remembers.
When the time came, Gladys came to the UK to study nursing, first at Kings College in London and, later at Edinburgh Napier University. Afterwards she gained mentorship and coaching qualifications at Middlesex University and has also since completed a certificate in leadership.
For a number of years, Gladys worked in the cardiac-thoracic departments of several NHS and private hospitals in London. While she enjoyed the many challenges associated with working in a large London hospital, she became more and more attracted by the thought of working in social care. So, while still at one of the hospitals, she started picking up shifts at a local care home as well. This cemented her decision to move into social care, and she has never looked back!
Initially working as head of nursing care and, later, registered manager for a large faith-based provider, Gladys spent the next 15 years managing homes across the London and Essex areas for such care home groups as Care UK, Abbey Healthcare and Forest Healthcare and was, for a time, regional support manager responsible for five homes.
Here at Heathlands, Gladys is supported by deputy manager Rongia Joby, hospitality & services manager Sharon Biscette and the rest of the staff team. She says: “We are working with residents, relatives and our professional colleagues to ensure that we provide the best possible care in the most comfortable and pleasant surroundings. We are also keen to build up closer relationships within our local community.”
Gladys is no stranger to supporting and nurturing others. Early in life she lost her mother, and immediately stepped into caring for her younger siblings. “It was all about bringing them together and looking after them,” she says.
Away from work Gladys spends as much time as she can with her three grown-up children. She also enjoys cooking, especially leisurely family breakfasts at the weekend and gardening. She’s got some ambitious plans to grow potatoes and other fruit and veg in the spacious Heathlands garden!
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