Claire's story: Why I'm a unit manager

Claire Bell, a unit manager at Dearnevale in Barnsley, which is home to 40 service users, sums up her job as “very variable, busy, but enjoyable.”

Take today, for instance: “We’ve got service users going on holiday, and people have got appointments,” Claire says. “There’s just a big buzz on the unit, because they’ve been doing sensory mornings. It’s quite busy, but very rewarding. Constantly just giving service users what they need is what we aim to do.”

Claire’s worked for Exemplar Health Care for seven years, after joining Dearnevale as a newly qualified nurse.

“I wanted to develop myself even further, but they’ve let me do that within here. I’ve gone from newly qualified, to being competent on my unit, and then now up to unit manager.”

Right now, Claire likes her current post because it allows lots of one-on-one time with service users – time that more senior colleagues don’t always get.

“I could take my career further if I wanted to, but I’m quite happy where I am at the minute really. I know that there would be options if ever I wanted to try and go further. Exemplar Health Care is a really good company for developing people, and they will offer you the options if you want to progress into further roles."

What’s one of the best things about working for Exemplar Health Care? 

“As a company as a whole, everybody feels supported,” Claire says. “If there’s any training we need, we ask and we’ve got it... the support and the training is really spot on.”