Our dedicated teams provide
exceptional care
At Downing Care we recognise the need for experienced, well trained and highly motivated staff. With this in mind, we provide excellent, specialised training programmes for all employees and support them in their professional development throughout their career with Downing Care.
All our staff are committed to providing great care and ensuring that the needs of our residents, across often complex dependency spectrum, are met 24 hours a day.
Keyworker system
Each resident has a key worker who they select from the team. The key worker is responsible for engaging the resident in maintaining their person-centred care plan and supporting them in decision making about all aspects of their life.
The key worker will also help the resident to maintain important links with family and friends and will support the resident at meetings such as Reviews or Residents’ Meetings.
Care home worker of the year
Agnieszka Kwiatkowska
Agnieszka works as an Activities Co-ordinator at our home in Byfleet, Surrey. She is extremely creative and has a deep passion for arts and people, a fantastic combination of skills and talent. We are genuinely delighted to have her as part of our support team.
Tracy Young
Some of our dedicated team
Dorota – Senior Night Support Worker
Alistair – Support Worker
I am Alistair. I work as a Support Worker at The Chestnuts.
Having volunteered for many years within the field of health and social care in a flexible manner I am aware of the challenges and rewards it brings. I am passionate about good quality care and believe that we all deserve a happy and fulfilled life. I enjoy building strong relationships with our residents based on trust, transparency, honesty and approachable manner. How we act matters and I pride myself on bringing a bit of lightness and humour into our home. I love seeing our residents smile, laugh and joke with me.
Being able to help others has always been in my DNA. I like to have fun but I also take my job as a carer extremely seriously. Seeing our residents open up to me and build a relationship with me is very important to me. I always make sure that The Chestnuts feels like home to them.
I am currently studying towards my Care Certificate. I started working at Downing Care in December 2021 and I am happy to have moved into the Care Sector after finishing my studies. It has been the best decision I made in a long time.
Richard – Senior Support Worker
My name is Richard and I am a Senior Support Worker at The Chestnuts. I have recently completed my Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care. I also have a Higher National Diploma in Business and Management and a BA (Hons) in Business Studies from the University of Surrey.
I started my career in Social Care at the Chestnuts in the 1990’s. After leaving Downing Care I gained experience working in senior roles with several care providers: including Learning Disabilities Day Centre, Hospital, Challenging Behaviour Units, and other Residential Settings. I returned to The Chestnuts 18 months ago to apply all the knowledge I have gained in the company I have started with.
I enjoy working at The Chestnuts thanks to the variety of work involved, lovely residents and highly professional team. The Chestnuts is an enjoyable place to work and really like working in the Care Sector mainly due to the ever-changing array of work and ongoing learning where I build meaningful relationships with the team and our service users.
Emanuel – Support Worker
Hello, my name is Emanuel and I am originally from Romania where I worked in the automotive industry. When I settled in the UK I found my first job in the care sector which was a big change for me but one that I loved from the word go. I have now been caring for people with physical and learning disabilities at The Chestnuts for over 5 years. I find caring for people with additional needs extremely enjoyable but what brings me most joy every day is making sure that the people around me are well looked after and most of all happy.
I like working at The Chestnuts because it always feels like I am part of an extended family and I think of it as my second home.
