Sarah Golden-Hill is appointed Home Manager of Castleford Lodge Care Home!

In 2013, Sarah Golden-Hill joined the Orchard Care Homes group as a Care Assistant – and now, 12 years later,  we’re pleased to announce that Sarah has accepted the role of Home Manager at Castleford Lodge! We spoke to Sarah about her inspiring career progression, and why she recommends a career in care at Orchard Care Homes.

Starting her journey 19 years ago, Sarah admits she fell into the role by chance. “When I joined my first care home, I didn’t realise it would become a long and happy career – I was just young and needed a job! Now, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else, and I’m so glad I took that leap into the care sector.”

After taking a short break to raise her young family, Sarah made the decision to re-join the sector as a Care Assistant at Lofthouse Grange and Lodge, where she feels her career in care truly began. “It was at Lofthouse that my career pathway really opened up. My manager saw potential in me, and helped me learn new skills and develop as a Care Assistant. Within 9 months I was promoted to Senior Care Assistant, and a few years later I stepped into the role of interim Deputy Manager.

My time as deputy gave me the experience and confidence I needed to progress in my career, and now, here I am; the proud Home Manager of Castleford Lodge Care Home! I couldn’t have done it without the continuous support of my colleagues and the training provided by Orchard Care Homes.”

The Orchard Academy, which is available to all colleagues across the group, was launched to provide ample career progression opportunities through skill and training development. From the Step-Up-To-Dementia Support Worker Programme to senior management training, all Orchard employees can take advantage of our fantastic training and development programmes.

Talking about her journey at Orchard, Sarah expresses her gratitude for all the opportunities she’s been given. “Climbing the career ladder from Care Assistant to Home Manager has helped me truly understand the world of elderly care; each role gave me invaluable on-the-ground experience, which I can now use in my senior position to further support the incredible work our team does on a daily basis.”

Known for her creative flair and outside-the-box thinking, Sarah’s hands-on management skills  have already had a positive impact on our West Yorkshire care home, with the launch of their enhanced activities programme. Castleford Lodge, which offers residential, nursing, dementia nursing and respite care, recently welcomed DJ Pete Goldup to their home, with a special silent disco party organised by Sarah. “Our silent disco was fantastic! Because the headphones were wireless, it gave all of our residents the same experience – regardless of whether they were in the living room or enjoying the music from the comfort of their bedroom. This is the first of many new events we’re introducing to Castleford!”

Sarah also has a personal connection with the home, with her mum receiving nursing care at Castleford. “My mum joined before I became the Home Manager, so I already knew the excellent level of care provided. She’s so happy here, and I feel genuinely lucky that I can spend more time with her and help provide the exceptional level of care you’d expect from an award-winning care home group.”

When asked her advice on progressing your career in care, Sarah said “Be flexible! Take the risks, otherwise you’ll never know what could have happened. Saying yes to opportunities allowed me to not only learn new roles, but experience different care home environments and see all the great things we can do for people in our care. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t simply said ‘yes’.”

Now settled into her new role, Sarah has big plans for the care home in Castleford. “I want to focus on ensuring that the quality of care remains high, but I also want to look at ways in which we can embrace creative thinking to provide a truly unique care home experience. One specific area I’d like to look at is helping residents to continue getting out into their much-loved hometown and be part of the Castleford community again – I feel passionate about ensuring residents have their voices heard, so contributing to community projects and involving ourselves in external events is something you can expect in 2025. We’re so excited!”

Sarah’s enthusiasm for exceptional, person-centred care has inspired many during her time at Orchard Care Homes, and we can’t wait to hear about the amazing things she has planned at Castleford Lodge Care Home!

Whether you’re considering a new, rewarding career in care or you’re looking for the next step in your current role, head to our careers page and see all our latest job opportunities!

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