Essex retirement village Moat Park shares an insight into the life of its village manager Sharon Thompson; how she came to be in post and her varied career working in the care sector.
Local lady Sharon has lived in Essex all her life, moving from Chelmsford to Braintree after she married. Finishing school at 16 Sharon went straight into secretarial work where she stayed until she had her two daughters.
It wasn’t until 1988 when she went to work at Black Notley Hospital that she discovered her passion in life, working in care. Sharon started out helping on the hospital wards before taking an additional job as a private carer for a lady with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). If that wasn’t enough to take on she also took another job working for her local Age Concern.
“I enjoyed the variety of my three jobs but I knew care was where I predominantly wanted to be. I loved how two days were never the same and I got to meet and support a number of different people taking into consideration their individual needs. This is still one of the main reasons why I love working in the care sector,” explains Sharon.
In 1999 Sharon secured a job working one night a week in a Braintree care home as a night care assistant, but it wasn’t long before the care home saw her potential and increased her hours. As Sharon’s experience grew her talent was recognised and in a short space of time she was promoted to Senior Care Assistant and moved onto days. By this time, care was now her fulltime job and she was promoted to team leader.
2002 saw Sharon move jobs seeking more responsibility; she went to work for the Community Mental Health Team in Braintree but returned to the care home in 2003 as she missed the relationships she had made with the residents. It was then an opportunity came, allowing her to move up the career ladder. Due to enforceable circumstances the care home was without a manager so Sharon stood in and was later offered a permanent managerial position.
Sharon came to work at The Moat House care home in September 2012 a year after it had opened.
In the last two years Sharon’s watched Maynard House being built into 26 independent living apartments. Her position as ‘Village Manager’ sees her looking after both The Moat House Care Home and Maynard House.