Social care stalwart made MBE ahead of home opening

Experienced home manager Cheryl Harbourne has been made an MBE.

A social care stalwart has seen her career in the sector celebrated as she was made an MBE.

Cheryl Harbourne recently visited Windsor Castle where she received her award from Charles, the Prince of Wales. The honour comes as she prepares for the opening of a new care home, a long-held ambition.

Harbourne qualified as a nurse in 1986, where she then went on to work as a staff nurse and eventually a ward sister in both the NHS and private healthcare. She then moved into social care in 2005, starting out as a deputy manager before becoming a home manager in 2006.

Throughout her career, she has remained committed to providing the best in person-centred care, with the hardships of the pandemic calling upon her experience and encouraging an exceptional approach to care.

Harbourne is now part of the Macc Care group and is the commissioning manager at Blythe Rose, a state-of-the-art dementia home in Blythe Valley Park, which is soon to offer residents an inclusive care culture.

She says: “I was incredibly proud and honoured to have been recognised in this way. It was a complete shock. I was made an MBE for service to veterans during the Covid-19 pandemic. My previous home was for veterans and partners, where we found innovative ways to keep our residents safe whie maintaining contact with their loved ones. I received a phone call from the cabinet office in April 2021 to inform me of my award, and had to keep it secret until the Queen's Birthday in June. Due to the pandemic, the ceremony was postponed until the end of March this year but the day was just as special.”

When asked about her new role as commissioning manager at Blythe Rose, she adds: “It is the one thing I have never done before in my career and I felt ready for a new challenge. I am very excited about the opening of Blythe Rose. The home is going to be unique and the team I have put together is going to be fantastic. We all share the same vision for providing exceptional standards of care and a life full of meaning for the residents we are going to care for. We can’t wait to meet them all.”

Sharen Guise, operations director at Macc Care, comments: “We are delighted to have Cheryl as commissioning manager at Blythe Rose. She is a real inspiration to the industry and her recent MBE is truly deserved. We look forward to seeing what she can achieve there and with a talented team around her, we have no doubt her first home commissioning will be a real success.”

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