Care UK Welcomes New Senior Leaders
Care provider, Care UK, has welcomed two new members to its extended leadership team.
Jo Crossland joined the Care Quality team as Head of Nursing, Care and Dementia earlier this summer and in August, Andrew Gibb became Operations Director for Care UK’s North division.
Welcoming them to Care UK, Chief Executive Officer Andrew Knight said:
“This year has been an exciting period of growth and change for Care UK, so I am delighted that Jo and Andrew have joined us on this journey. Between them, they bring decades of expertise and leadership experience. This will not only benefit our teams, but also introduces new ways of thinking to continue supporting residents to live fulfilling lives.”
Jo Crossland is a dual-qualified nurse with a BSc (Hons) and Master’s degree in dementia care – she has been supporting older people for more than three decades. Throughout her career, she has held senior positions within care homes, mental health NHS trusts, and as a development consultant and trainer for the University of Bradford’s School of Dementia Studies. In 2016, she joined Avery Healthcare as head of dementia care, where she was a key part of the team for seven-and-a-half years. Her most recent role was that of quality director for We Care Group.
When asked, Jo cites her defining characteristic as being “a curious person” – something she hopes to bring to her work at Care UK, and drives her part-time PhD research at Leeds Beckett University, which focuses on the experience of relatives moving their loved ones into a care home after a period of home care.
Of her new position, Jo said: “It’s a brilliant time to join Care UK, and a great opportunity for me. I’m just that lass from the Yorkshire Dales who wants to make a difference. I often think ‘how did I get here?’
“I’ve never forgotten what it was like for my Nana to place my Grandad in our local nursing home in the 1990’s. I want to make sure that every family member feels heard as they go through the care process – it’s a huge transition for everyone involved, and I want to make sure we’re future-proofing the service we offer to residents and their loved ones.
“Residents are everything to someone – many of them are Nanas and Grandads to people, and they’re just trying to make sense of a huge lifestyle change which feels completely different to what they’re used to – my question is, what support do we need to offer to make sure residents are bringing their life with them on their journey into care?”
Andrew Gibb has taken on responsibility for 55 Care UK homes in five regions, covering care homes in the North of England and Scotland. He will oversee the continued growth of some of the more recent homes in the provider’s portfolio, including the six formerly run by Yorkshire-based Springfield Healthcare, which joined the Care UK family last October.
Andrew is a registered pharmacist and has spent his career in leadership roles with Boots Hearingcare, Superdrug and Lloyd’s Pharmacy. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he supported the plasma donation scheme created by the NHS. For a number of years, he was a trustee for We Change Lives, a social care charity based in Warrington.
Of joining Care UK, Andrew said:
“It feels like the perfect fit – Care UK is a fantastic provider, with hardworking teams who aim to help to as many residents and their families as possible.
“I hope I can make a real difference and work with our in-house experts to provide residents with the high-quality care they deserve. I want to help continue to grow our high quality ratings – the more successful we are, the more people we can help.”
