Hazel Ratcliffe the Director & Founder of the company has worked in Social & Health care for over thirty years. As a Qualified Nurse, Psychotherapist & Social Worker. She has been involved in working with most client groups, but more intensively with people with Learning Disabilities, Mental health & Dementia. Hazel has been an 'associate specialist in learning & development for the Association for dementia Studies since 2010. With a reputation for delivering exceptional training and coaching services to improve the quality of support that people receive. She has created a number of innovative training packages which are person centred in their thinking, are designed to encourage exploration, creative participation and intends to bring the best out of even the most reluctant delegate! She is committed to providing training, consultancy or support that is relevant to the individual.
Hazel Ratcliffe
DirectorKate Read
Kate has considerable lived experience of dementia, growing up with her grandfather with dementia and in more recent years living with and caring for her mother throughout the 10+ years of her dementia journey. She began her career as a social worker in 1977 and has many years of experience in practice, management and service development of health and social care for older people and in particular people with dementia. She was the executive director of the West Midlands Dementia Services Development Centre for five years. Kate taught at Staffordshire University as a senior lecturer in Social Work before moving to the Association for Dementia Studies at the University of Worcester where she led on the development of admiral nurses in the West Midlands but also enjoyed delivering the extensive training and education programmes developed at the Association over the 9 years she worked there.
Jill Turley
Jill has worked in social care sector for many years providing services for older people especially people living with dementia, giving her a wealth of experience around service provision. Introducing, developing and facilitating new training courses which are engaging and active for staff teams. She has also been involved in numerous developmental projects relating to many areas of health and social care including core values, induction training programs and refresher courses. Jill has been engaging and supporting services in developing dementia friendly environments and communities. Jill develops staff teams to work in a person-centred culture, through coaching and team mentoring. Jill is a dynamic, highly motivated and fun facilitator and trainer with bags of energy, knowledge and encouragement. She has a proven track record for motivating and enabling cultures to change to ensure that the very best of person centred care can be provided.
Hannah Driscoll
Hannah Driscoll founded the company Juniper Care in October 2015 with the aim to specialise in providing aromatherapy massage to individuals with learning disabilities, Autism and complex needs. Hannah has years of experience in supporting adults with learning disabilities. Hannah is passionate to combine these skills with the use of aromatherapy massage to meet the needs of many within the community. Hannah’s focus is to adapt her sessions to suit the needs of the individual. Through her work, she had realised the importance of positive human touch and how this can impact a persons mental health and well-being. Regular massage therapy sessions has supported her clients with the acceptance of touch, reduced anxiety and with sensory processing issues. Hannah is passionate about using a natural approach to therapy.
Chris Barson
Founder - Positive About AutismChris Barson founded Positive About Autism in 2009. Prior to that Chris was External Training Manager for the National Autistic Society. Chris has a long involvement with disability and autism. After studying drama at the Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff he started out as a drama tutor with Arts for Disabled People in Wales. Chris trained as a learning disabilities Nurse at University Hospital Wales. After qualifying Chris became a Community Nurse for people with learning disabilities. Moving from Community Nursing into a specialist setting, Chris gained experience in intensive support for people who present a severe challenge to services.
Ginny Tyler
Ginny has worked for over 30 years with people with learning disabilities through some of the most revolutionary times in health and social care. As a registered nurse, she was involved in developing innovative services for complex people but has always retained a common sense and practical approach. Ginny believes in the power of team working and has a keen interest in workplace attitudes, values and cultures. She believes we never stop learning and never stop teaching; these things get her to work in the morning and keep her enthused and engaged. Ginny has expertise in service development, governance and management, having been involved in primary care in remote and rural settings, NHS, Private independent and Third Sector provision. Ginny delivers practical training in supporting management of health conditions, administration of medicines, care planning and end of life care.
Hazel Childs
Hazel Childs has been an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) for over 30 years and is well known for helping businesses improve their food safety standards with her practical, jargon free approach. She has extensive experience of working within the social care sector to ensure that businesses meet their statutory requirements and raise food safety standards.
Successful management of food safety is about having the right systems in place. Hazel can provide flexible, mature and realistic advice and training about how to comply with the law and Best Practice, allergen management, Safer Food Better Business, HACCP and how to achieve a Food Hygiene Rating of 5.
Joanna Buckley
Joanna works as a chartered physiotherapist within both the NHS and the Independent sector. Her introduction to the healthcare setting started at a young age working as a healthcare assistant in a nursing home. This interest led to Joanna qualifying as a physiotherapist in 2007. Since graduating she has gained a wide range of experience and skills within mental Heath, older people & Dementia, Rehabilitation and in Acute Hospital settings. This holistic knowledge allows her to adapt handling techniques specific to the individual client & ensure that her facilitation and training is up to date and person centred in its delivery.
Susan Pinfold-Brown
Freelance TrainerSusan Pinfold-Brown Initially working in Public Health, Susan specialised in translating policy into action, developing individual well-being through organizational change in the public sector including Prisons, Crime and Disorder Partnerships and Mental Health Teams. In 2013 Susan joined the Association for Dementia Studies at the University of Worcester as an Associate Specialist developing and delivering practical programmes in person centred dementia care. Susan is passionate about improving individual wellbeing and using the development of leadership skills and organisational culture change to achieve this. She is now a Freelance Trainer and Consultant
Ken Howard
PresenterKen Howard an old biker and still riding, Sci fi fan, grandad, history lover, music lover, designer , free thinker , living with and fighting dementia as a way of life. Ken is a fantastic presenter and public speaker, he is dynamic and just a really lovely guy. He is also instigator & member of The Buddies a group run by people with Dementia for people who live with Dementia that meets every week in Leamington Spa.