Dementia specialist Belong appoints new operations manager

South Cheshire dementia specialist care provider Belong has appointed registered nurse Sue Goldsmith as its Operations Manager.

The role aims to enhance the care operator’s provision as it prepares to open its latest villages in Chester and Birkdale.

Crewe resident Sue will be responsible for quality improvement across Belong villages, including Belong Crewe on Brookhouse Drive, Belong Newcastle-under-Lyme and Belong Macclesfield.

She will also support development of targeted services tailored to meet the changing needs and expectations of customers and their families.

Sue brings more than 30 years of experience having honed her expertise across both frontline nursing and senior management roles.

Originally working as a mental health nurse on acute admissions wards, she moved into the adult social care sector in 1994 where she was later appointed Head of Dementia and Head of Care Improvement at Four Seasons Health Care.

A trained dementia care mapper, Sue was key to implementing the group’s first dementia care model, PEARL (Positively Enriching and Enhancing Residents Lives), as well as developing its successor, the Dementia Care Framework (DCF).

Most recently, she worked as the Director of Care Quality and Dementia for a care coaching consultancy, which involved enhancing the operations of care providers and supporting them to achieve Outstanding ratings from industry regulator, the CQC (Care Quality Commission).

She said: “I have always been a great advocate of the values and household model of care that Belong champions and so I’m incredibly honoured and excited to be taking on this new role.

“It is a great opportunity to build on Belong’s vision to create the best possible experiences and outcomes for its customers and care teams, and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together.”

Belong Chief Operations Officer Stacey McCann added: “Sue has a strong track record for success in the social care sector, especially in the area of dementia care, and we are thrilled to have her on board at Belong.

“We created this role to maintain and drive the highest standards of care as we continue to expand as a group, and we are confident that Sue is the best person to achieve this.”