Home Management & Clinical Leads

A Managers role is varied and complex, involving activities such as setting clear policies, recruiting team members, managing budgets and liaising with families, carers and other community contacts.

Watch this short film to hear our Managers talking about leadership within a Care Home setting. 

Our Home Managers are responsible and accountable for the day-to-day running of our care homes. They oversee all activities within their home and make sure the quality of the service and care provided meets our quality standards and those of our external regulators.

Working closely with the Home Managers, our Clinical Leads take the lead role in ensuring that our residents receive the clinical care they need, in a way that supports dignity and independence.   The Clinical Leads manage the nursing and healthcare teams, providing support, development and leadership. Ensuring that care plans are regularly reviewed and updated is an essential part of the role along with practical, clinical care.  Our goal is to give our residents quality of life through effective care, service and activity for which the Clinical Leads takes responsibility. 

The care sector is highly regulated and compliance is fundamental.  As well as the usual management responsibilities any major employer expects to have, we operate under strict rules set down by the Care Quality Commission. To register one of our homes, we must meet all the requirements laid down in a 300-page ‘outcomes’ document. This covers everything from the administration of medicines and nutrition to our management suitability and policies on personalised care. We expect to be assessed against these requirements on an ongoing basis.

It’s a team effort.  Both the Home Manager and Clinical Lead have a pivotal role to play in the life of a home. They are demanding jobs but both are highly rewarding. 

What skills will I learn?

You will learn about every facet of management whether this is to do with managing people, managing resources or managing processes and information.

As part of managing people you will become skilled at choosing, developing, leading and managing teams.  You will learn about what it takes to provide ‘outstanding’ care in our homes.

For Home Managers, managing resources means getting the best value from our investment in equipment and services as well as in managing budgets.

Managing processes is all about achieving consistently high standards through effective policies and procedures, many of which are delivered through new ICT systems.

What do I need to become a Home Manager or Clinical Lead?

For Home Managers, experience of managing large diverse teams in a similar setting is essential as too are proven leadership and management skills.  If you are a qualified Nurse with a current NMC registration, this would be an advantage.  

A Diploma in Health and Social Care Level 5 or equivalent is desirable.  The role would ideally suit an existing Manager, Deputy Manager, Nurse Team Leader or Clinical Lead who is seeking a larger general manager’s role with a leading healthcare provider.

The Clinical Lead role presents an excellent opportunity for a Senior Nurse to move upwards in their career.  Already an RGN or RMN, if you have previous experience of supervising teams and can provide clinical leadership to our Nurses and Care teams, we invite you to talk to us. Read 'Helga's story' by clicking here.

What can I aim for?

A natural progression for a Clinical Lead is to become a registered Home Manager or perhaps to specialise in clinical leadership or a quality based role.  It very much depends on your area of focus and enjoyment.  You may wish to undertake further professional development, which Colten Care would sponsor, for example, the Diploma in Health & Social Care Level 5.

Home Managers may be able to develop their careers into senior operational management positions or move sideways into either a quality or specialist clinical role.  Alternatively you can develop your skills across a range of different homes in different settings, including dedicated Dementia care.  In an expanding company such as ours, the opportunities are endless.