Meet Katie Capes: Our new Commissioning Home Director of Marmaduke

Meet the woman who’s building Marmaduke, our £2.9m complex needs care home in Hull, opening spring 2021.

In charge is Katie Capes, the Commissioning Home Director of Marmaduke, an 18-bed care home on Marmaduke Street, located in Hull. Once completed, the home will provide ground floor living for adults living with dementia, acquired brain injury, complex mental health conditions and physical disabilities.

Marmaduke is one of Exemplar Health Care’s 32 complex needs care homes across England.

Q&A with Katie Capes, Commissioning Home Director of Marmaduke

1. What drew you to Exemplar Health Care in the first instance?

I have worked in the care sector for a number of years now – 19 years, however that makes me feel quite old! During that time, Exemplar Health Care has been mentioned many times to me and always in a positive context. It was a company that were passionate about quality, but also took care of their colleagues, and encouraged development and progression.

I’ve spent a lot of my career working out of town and travelling across the country, and even moved out of my family home and into a service during the first lock down. This made me want to work closer to home and since joining Exemplar Health Care in November 2020, I haven’t looked back, and I’m thoroughly enjoying working with the team.

2. What do you think sets Marmaduke apart from other care homes?

Myself and the Head of Care, Sarah, have worked together in the past and have a real desire to make people’s lives better. We believe in a team approach, Marmaduke will be led by the people that live and work there, and we will take great care to ensure that our service users are involved in the running of the service, and strive to bring their ideas and wishes to life.

3. Name some of the exclusive facilities at Marmaduke?

Marmaduke is an 18-bed service, over two 9-bed communities, Fairhaven and Hopewell. The rooms are spacious with en-suite facilities, and there’s lots of space for service users to spend time either in groups or enjoying a quiet space. The home will have quiet lounges, dining areas and TV lounges on each community in addition to ‘The Cove’, which is a communal hub area for events once these are safe to take place again.

Marmaduke will also have a full Therapy Team of a Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist and Therapy Assistants, who will work with our service users and the Care Team to provide bespoke person-centred care for each individual.

4. What do you think the residents will value the most about Marmaduke?

I think that our service users will value the social aspects that the service hopes to bring. The Exemplar Health Care values will be embedded in our team, and the first value of ‘Fun’ will be taken very seriously and, as with all of our values, be thought about every day.

5. What are you most excited for once Marmaduke opens?

I’m of course excited to meet the service users that we will support. The relationships I have formed over the years are very treasured and bring fond memories. In addition, I’m also excited to see the team at Marmaduke build and flourish. I pride myself on being a good leader and enjoy leading a team in a vision that we all share, and seeing the achievement when we reach goals we have set ourselves. During the recruitment process, I have met some amazing people who I know will be pivotal in making every day better for our service users. 

Careers at Marmaduke care home in Hull

If you or someone you know is interested in working at Marmaduke when it opens this summer, we’re recruiting for a range of roles including Support Workers, Registered Nurses, Therapists and support roles. Find out more about your career opportunities and our vacancies. 

Make a referral to Marmaduke

If you’d like to find out more about the home or make a referral for a complex care placement, please contact our Referrals Team on 01709 565 777 or email referrals@exemplarhc.com.