The new manager of Avalon Nursing Home in Bridgwater says her personal experience of having a grandmother with dementia is what inspires her to ensure all residents in her care are treated like members of her own family.

When Tamsin Forde’s grandma Glenys was living with dementia and both visual and hearing impairments, Tamsin took her to live at the home where she was clinical lead nurse in Ilminster and supervised her care there for three years, until she passed away.

Tamsin said: “Properly caring for someone who is living with dementia demands compassion, patience and a willingness to understand them as an individual.

“That’s what I’ve always tried to bring to my job and it’s what makes the difference to the happiness levels in a care home.”

Tamsin, 44, originally qualified as an adult general nurse at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, and worked briefly with the NHS before moving to the care sector.

She has already established a reputation for her skill in turning around care homes rated by CQC as requiring improvement, having transformed two facilities which required improvement when she arrived as manager into homes that were rated ‘Good’ by the time she moved on.

“Avalon is already rated as good though,” said Tamsin, “And that’s not surprising because there’s a terrific team in place here and a lovely ethos of supporting residents to live their best possible lives.

“Since I started working at Avalon in January I’ve been so pleased by all the comments from external professionals visiting the home, who praise its atmosphere - saying it’s like a breath of fresh air and commenting on the caring interactions they witness between staff and residents.”

Tamsin said that her favourite aspect of her job is the positive impact she and her team can make on residents’ lives.

Tamsin said: “I don’t do stress, or everyone else negatively feeds off it. I acknowledge that my team look to me for leadership, so I have to keep a calm and level head - anxiety is contagious.

“And I don’t have a big ego. I want people to come to me with their ideas for improvements or with constructive criticism. I’m always keen to hear from my team and I want their ideas, input and for them to feel ownership of the home.”

Mum-of-two, Tamsin, has lived in Somerset since her family moved to the county when she was 13, other than during her student years.

Avalon Nursing Home is run by award-winning specialist dementia care providers Camelot Care, who have other homes in Wellington and Plymouth and a fourth due to open shortly in Yeovil - www.camelotcare.co.uk