At the beginning of June this year, Emma joined us as Regional Operations Manager to take the lead in overseeing our three Yorkshire services.
Emma brings with her a wealth of experience in working with adults with mental health needs and learning disabilities. Emma has held positions as a Registered Manager as well as in quality control and we feel is the perfect addition to our growing team.
We chatted with Emma about her varied background, how she feels about joining us and how she sees her role evolving…
What is your professional background?
“I qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1993 and worked with children up until 2001, before moving into Health and Social Care firstly as a support worker, and later as a Deputy Manager. In that role I worked with adults with both physical and learning disabilities, before moving to a Registered Manager post for adults with enduring mental health needs.
I have also been involved in opening supported living services, and managing an independent hospital for residents under the Mental Health Act.
Eventually my career took me to a service provider supporting a service with a NOP with CQC, where my role was to support the home to improve quality and turnaround. Following that initial success, I went on to work across the country at other services where there were existing concerns.
Before coming to Active Pathways, I spent some time in a turnaround role within HC-One, working in elderly care supporting services with quality and on occasions in the absence of a manager.
Over the years I have gained an NVQ level 4 in Health and social care as well as a Registered Manager award.”
What attracted you to Active Pathways?
Emma has spent almost 20 years in various roles across the healthcare industry, after spending time in such a wide variety of settings, she has enough experience to know exactly where her skills lie, and how she wants to shape her own future:
“Essentially, I wanted just wanted to work again in the Mental Health field, where I know I can excel and make a difference”
What do you enjoy most about your role?
As Emma will be overseeing three services in total, and be Registered Manager for two, her role will be far reaching and comprehensive, but Emma’s priorities remain simple –
“Making a difference to the residents we support, seeing the residents progress and move towards independent living”
Aside from seeing progress in the residents of our services, Emma is enjoying the diverse nature of working in mental health services, where no two days are ever the same!
What are some of the challenges you face as a manager?
Being in charge of three services, and being Registered Manager of two, presents a host of challenges on a daily basis, from ensuring we have a happy team, to putting the safety of our residents at the forefront of everything we do.
Emma sees two main challenges that come up on a regular basis – “Conflicting workload priorities and the recruitment of staff for the vacant roles”
Both of those challenges are common in the healthcare industry, but here at Active Pathways, we’re trying to tackle this head on, by hiring our very own internal recruiter, to make sure we hire the best candidates for the job, that are comfortable and capable for all types of shifts, and that are fully trained and incredibly competent to be able to assist with all sorts of responsibilities.
What are your future plans for the services you manage?
“To continue to improve the service delivery, support the teams to understand the service and the role they play within this and to develop community connections and relationships with the stakeholders.”
And finally, how would you like to see your role at Active Pathways evolve?
As we look to the future, we can see Emma’s visions and skills will mean she will remain an excellent addition to our team, but we’re interested in how Emma sees her own future:
“I want to ensure I fully understand all the elements of my role, to oversee the Yorkshire services and eventually develop more services in Yorkshire.”
For more information on our Yorkshire services, or to make a referral, please contact Lisa Mullineaux on Lisa.Mullineaux@Active-Pathways.com