Meet the Team

At Valerian Court Care Home, we are a team of compassionate and committed individuals who all share the same passion for delivering high-quality, resident-focused care. We believe in building strong relationships, treating each other with respect, and working hard as a team to ensure that all staff, residents, and relatives at Valerian Court Care Home feel valued and fulfilled.

  • Andrei Joanta

    Home Manager
    our home manager
    Andrei JoantaHome Manager

    Andrei is a registered nurse with experience in hospitals and nursing homes. He has been managing care homes for the last 4 years and is excited to have joined Valerian Court Care Home. His philosophy is that care is not a job but a mission where we all come together to support our loved ones. He believes we continuously learn every day with one goal in mind: to create a home away from home for our residents.

    He is honoured that, together with his team they can be part of this beautiful extended family.

  • Kathy Francis

    Deputy Manager
    kathy our admin
    Kathy FrancisDeputy Manager

    Kathy is our Deputy Manager here at Valerian Court and has been a Registered Nurse within the NHS for more than 12 years. Kathy initially specialised in renal care before becoming Ward Sister and later Matron of Acute General Medicine wards. Prior to qualifying as a nurse Kathy worked in a care home and enjoys delivering person-centred care once more. Kathy has a wealth of knowledge and experience in nursing and leadership and is excited to be part of the team at Valerian Court.

  • Anna Sharp

    Senior Registered Nurse
    Anna Sharp
    Anna SharpSenior Registered Nurse

    Anna is an experienced Nurse who has a background in critical care, having worked in Intensive Care for 12 years. Anna became part of the team here at Valerian Court to continue her passion for nursing and commitment to ensuring all residents receive the best care.

  • Doris Amponsah

    Registered Nurse
    Doris one of our team members
    Doris AmponsahRegistered Nurse

    Doris is a competent and dedicated registered general nurse with a commitment to providing patient-centred quality health care directly and indirectly whilst developing her nursing knowledge to meet the ever-changing needs of nursing care. “Not only does Valerian Court have a serene environment for its residents but also the lovely people here make you want to stay.”

  • Rachel Manu

    Registered Nurse
    rachel one of our team members
    Rachel ManuRegistered Nurse

    Rachel joined Valerian Court Care Home after qualifying as a Registered Nurse in Ghana. Rachel is committed to making residents comfortable during their care.

    Rachel has recently gained her NMC pin and is now a Registered Nurse. She is passionate, a good team player and always goes above and beyond.

  • Karen Jenkins

    Registered Nurse
    Karen Jenkins - Nurse
    Karen JenkinsRegistered Nurse

    Karen is one of our Registered Nurses who strives to provide the best possible care to everyone! She is kind and compassionate and has years of experience.

  • Daisy Mafuka

    Team Leader
    daisy one of our team members
    Daisy MafukaTeam Leader

    Daisy is committed to her work and strives to provide the best care possible. She has a genuine passion for making a difference in people’s lives, which drives her to deliver exceptional care.

  • Emmanuel Nartey

    Team Leader
    emmanuel one of our team members
    Emmanuel NarteyTeam Leader

    Emmanuel previously worked as a paediatric nurse before moving to the UK. He has always felt a strong connection with providing care for both children and adults. Emmanuel chose to join the team at Valerian Court because of the opportunities that are offered to their staff to build their skills and knowledge. Emmanuel gets satisfaction from helping residents and enjoys the peaceful environment at Valerian Court.

  • Ellen Owusu

    Team Leader
    ellen one of our team members
    Ellen OwusuTeam Leader

    Ellen is a registered nurse/midwife in Ghana with five years experience. She is very supportive and compassionate. Ellen’s top priority is seeing the residents well, happy and comfortable with the care she delivers to them. Ellen will continue to gain experience alongside her formal training and examination to gain her UK registration.

  • Judy Mens-Harrison

    Team Leader
    judy one of our team members
    Judy Mens-HarrisonTeam Leader

    Judy has a passion and commitment for caring for individuals and is ready to go out of her way to make others happy and feel better.

  • Comfort Konamah

    Team Leader
    comfort our team
    Comfort KonamahTeam Leader

    Comfort is a registered general and critical care nurse from Ghana with 16 years experience of working in healthcare.

    She has recently been promoted to Team Leader and we look forward to working together as she continues to develop her healthcare career in the UK.

  • Vicencia Entsey

    Team Leader
    one of our team leaders
    Vicencia EntseyTeam Leader

    Vicencia is a compassionate and supportive worker, specialising in caring for those with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs.

    She has recently been promoted to the role of Team Leader.

  • Kenneth Ranasinghe

    Care Assistant
    kenneth
    Kenneth RanasingheCare Assistant

    Kenneth is passionate about providing around-the-clock care for our residents, ensuring everybody is happy and comfortable at all times.

  • Betty Falodun

    Care Assistant
    Betty Falodun
    Betty FalodunCare Assistant

    Betty is a dedicated care assistant who is compassionate to the vulnerable.

  • Kamudu Ranasinghe

    Care Assistant
    Kamudu Ranasinghe
    Kamudu RanasingheCare Assistant

    Kamudu (Kams) is a Care Assistant at Valerian Court and brings over 5 years of experience in the field of care homes, domiciliary and home care.

    As a Buddhist, his philosophy is to give and support with care to any living being. Kams passion is to serve residents with a Warm Heart, Respect, Dignity, and Quality preserve these as my values and create a positive and safe environment for everyone under my care.

    Kam enjoys learning and developing care standards and skills and keeping himself self-upgraded in providing quality care for residents.

  • Jane Owulezi

    Care Assistant
    Jane Owulezi - Care Assistant
    Jane OwuleziCare Assistant

    Jane is a positive and hardworking member of our team who loves to help and care for all in need.

  • Syama Sasidharan

    Care Assistant
    Syama Sasidharan - Care Assistant
    Syama SasidharanCare Assistant

    Syama has joined our team here at Valerian Court as a Care Assistant and is happy to be learning and gaining experience every day. Syama looks forward to greeting the residents and supporting and assisting them throughout the day.

  • Fatoumata Badjie

    Care Assistant
    Fatoumata Badjie - Care Assistant
    Fatoumata BadjieCare Assistant

    Fatoumata is passionate about providing the best care for our residents, ensuring everybody is always happy and comfortable.

  • Sibusiso Rusere

    Care Assistant
    Sibusiso Rusere
    Sibusiso RusereCare Assistant

    Sibu has embraced her role and the opportunity it provides to gain new skills as well as improve her knowledge within the care sector. Sibu loves the satisfaction that comes with being able to help residents and make a positive difference in their daily lives.

  • Ernestina Acheampong

    Care Assistant
    Ernestina Acheampong
    Ernestina AcheampongCare Assistant

    Ernestina has nine months of experience working in care and has developed a compassionate approach. Ernestina works hard to get to know residents so that she can help them meet their needs.

  • Udeme Okon

    Care Assistant
    Udeme Isaac
    Udeme OkonCare Assistant

    Having worked as a volunteer staff in hospitals back in Nigeria after Udeme left her job as a confidential secretary in an oil and gas company. Udeme joined Valerian Court as a Care Assistant and is willing to learn in order to gain experience daily. Udeme looks forward to supporting and assisting the residents each day. Putting in her best to make sure the residents are safe and happy as well.

  • Sruthi Rajalakshmi

    Care Assistant
    Sruthi Rajalakshmi
    Sruthi RajalakshmiCare Assistant

    Sruthi joined Valerian Court as a Care Assistant and is happy to be learning and gaining experience every day and looks forward to giving support and the best service to our residents.

  • Nisha Karki

    Care Assistant
    A female carer with her hair up and in a dark red uniform.
    Nisha KarkiCare Assistant

    Nisha has joined our team here at Valerian Court as a Care Assistant and is happy to be learning and gaining experience every day. Nisha looks forward to greeting the residents and supporting and assisting them throughout the day.

  • Vincent Oringamje

    Care Assistant
    vincent care assistant
    Vincent OringamjeCare Assistant

    Vincent joined the Valerian Court Care Home team in August 2024. He has previous experience working in domiciliary care but enjoys working in the care home environment. Vincent has a big smile and is dedicated to providing the highest quality of life to all of our residents.

  • Vera Musanda

    Care Assistant
    Vera care assistant
    Vera MusandaCare Assistant

    Vera has previous experience in domiciliary care, live-in care and dementia care and has recently relocated to Didcot. She is dedicated to providing the utmost care to our residents and supporting them whilst they continue to do what they love most.

  • Peace Uwaegbu

    Care Assistant
    peace one of our carers
    Peace UwaegbuCare Assistant

    Peace is a new addition to the team but has already demonstrated that she is kind, compassionate and willing to learn. She is quickly becoming an integral part of our team, providing exceptional care around the clock.

  • Yedu Sasikumar

    Care Assistant
    yedu one of our carers
    Yedu SasikumarCare Assistant

    Yedu has previous experience working in care homes and is committed to providing the highest quality of care to our residents

  • Vicky Munday

    Activities Lead
    vicky activities lead
    Vicky MundayActivities Lead

    Vicky has joined as our new Activities Lead. She has 4 years experience of leading activities in other care homes and is looking forward to implementing a busy diary of events, including music therapy, crafting, baking and days out.

  • Riki Das

    Activities Coordinator
    our new activities cooridnator
    Riki DasActivities Coordinator

    Riki has been working at Valerian Court Care Home for approximately one year.  Riki was originally employed as a carer and moved to support the Activities Team earlier this year and is thoroughly enjoying her new role.  She is vibrant and energetic and shows the same enthusiasm whether supporting with group activities or one-to-one sessions.

  • Keith Hutchinson

    Maintenance Manager
    Keith Hutchinson
    Keith HutchinsonMaintenance Manager

    Keith joins our team at Valerian Court as Maintenance Manager.

    He is a retired Police Officer, having worked with Thames Valley Police for over 30 years. Keith uses his organisational and management skills to help out around the home. He strives to provide the best support to our residents and to make sure that the home continues to be well-maintained and fit for purpose.

  • Linda Connolly

    Housekeeping Assistant
    linda one of our residents
    Linda ConnollyHousekeeping Assistant

    Linda has previous experience of working in care homes and has worked as both a carer and a housekeeper. She has previously looked after people with learning disabilities and dementia and strives to ensure Valerian Court is an immaculate environment for all of our residents

  • Holly Page

    Housekeeping Assistant
    holly one of our housekeepers
    Holly PageHousekeeping Assistant

    Holly has prior experience of working in care homes and has worked as both a carer and housekeeper before. She is a great addition to the team and is keen to ensure the home is always clean and tidy

  • Gabriel Franguta

    Head Chef
    gabriel one of our team members
    Gabriel FrangutaHead Chef

    Gabriel is a proactive and trusted professional with over 9 years of chef experience.  He is looking forward to providing excellent home-cooked food using the finest quality ingredients.

  • Oleksandra Yablonska

    Second Chef
    oleksandra one of our team members
    Oleksandra YablonskaSecond Chef

    Oleksandra is originally from Skadovsk, Ukraine and has extensive experience working as a chef before joining our team in November 2023 as our second chef.

  • Jurgita Tauciute-Staugiene

    Kitchen Assistant
    jurgita one of our team members
    Jurgita Tauciute-StaugieneKitchen Assistant

    Jurgita has previous experience of working in kitchens and has previously worked at restaurants in Oxford.  She shows great attention to detail and is an excellent addition to our kitchen team.

  • Kateryna Trachuk

    Kitchen Assistant
    Kateryna Trachuk - Kitchen Assistant
    Kateryna TrachukKitchen Assistant

    Kateryna has plenty of experience working as a kitchen assistant. She is always here to help with a smiley face.

  • Carol Montague

    Business Administrator
    carol business administrator
    Carol MontagueBusiness Administrator

    Carol is excited to join Valerian Court as our new business administrator.

    She has 8 years experience of working as an administrator in care homes and has a wealth of knowledge to support our residents and relatives with their enquiries.

  • Eliza Jacob

    Receptionist
    eliza one of our team members
    Eliza JacobReceptionist

    Eliza has 20 years of experience working in various roles within the NHS and most recently as a GP receptionist. Eliza is a kind and caring person who enjoys talking and listening to the older generations’ life stories and is looking forward to bringing a smile to the residents’ next chapter in life.

  • Freya Selwood

    Receptionist
    freya one of our team members
    Freya SelwoodReceptionist

    Freya takes pride in being the first to greet everybody who comes through our doors with a smiling face. Being surrounded by all of our lovely staff and residents makes her day.

  • Kelly Roberts

    Hairdresser
    Kelly Roberts Hairdresser at Valerian Court
    Kelly RobertsHairdresser

    Kelly is a fully qualified hairdresser having worked in the hair industry for over 15 years. Kelly loves her job and the uplift it provides whether it be a trim, blow dry or something new. Kelly cannot wait to meet all the residents and to provide a pampering service.

  • Hannah Wild

    Beautician
    Hannah Wild - Beautician
    Hannah WildBeautician

    Hannah works in our in-house nail salon. She takes care of everyone fingernails while expanding her knowledge studying at college. Hannah is kind and compassionate to all.