New manager of dementia care home in Wigan fulfils career ambition

It is a career milestone for Nicola Johnstone, who will now oversee 24-hour dementia and nursing care for 72 residents at Belong Atherton and marks a new era at the Mealhouse Lane care village.

Additionally, she will be responsible for independent living apartment tenants and with the assistance of an experienced management team and a philosophy to support older people to live an active and fulfilling later life. The organisation’s community home care service, Belong at Home, also operates from the site.

Nicola’s career began in 2003, when new to the care industry she began her on-the-job training and quickly made her mark to earn progression in seniority, eventually leading her own teams. Five years later, following the completion of her BSc degree in adult nursing, she joined the village’s nursing team, before progressing to lead nurse in just a year.

Speaking of her appointment and her future plans, Nicola said: “I am very proud to lead our wonderful village and I’m looking forward to continuing the inclusive culture and innovative approaches to care that we have. Supporting our customers to live well and relationships with the community are my top priorities.”

In 2019, promotion to the support manager position came with the added responsibility of registered manager with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) ensuring that Belong Atherton maintained its outstanding rating.

More recently, Nicola was instrumental in the village earning the Quality Hallmark Award for demonstrating best practice in end of life and palliative care – one of only three operators in the county to hold the Gold Standards Framework (GSF) distinction.

Now, drawing on more than two decades of experience, she plans to build on the village’s strengths and reputation as an outstanding care provider in the local community.

Martin Rix, chief executive officer at Belong, added: “We’re pleased to congratulate Nicola on her new role. From zero social care experience to general manager, via the nursing profession, is the result of her hard work and commitment to our customers which have enabled her to advance her career at a rapid pace. We place great focus on developing home grown talent and Nicola is a shining example of someone who shares our ‘for people, not profit’ approach to care.”