Siobhan Lyell

We would like to take a moment to introduce our Registered Manager Siobhan Lyell. Siobhan Lyell joined our organisation in July 2019 and officially became Cornerways registered manager in September 2019.

We thought you would enjoy a Q&A session with our manager so you can get an insight into her background and the calibre of care she strives for.

Hello Siobhan, if we could start with a bit of background on yourself?
Hello, my background has been in care, especially Nursing and this has accumulated into over 40 years of experience and still counting.

I started my career as a Staff Nurse in A&E at Bromley Hospital, then Midwife at St Helier Hospital before moving to their Neonatal Intensive Care unit.

Realising my passion for elderly care, I concentrated my career in this direction and eventually became Senior Clinical Nurse at Guys and St Thomas Hospital for Elderly medicine, Stroke and Neurological Units. I held this position for 8 years and was a period of my career I was very proud of.

After this I took a career break to care for family but during this period I worked with Kent County Council to start a new care initiative, resulting in me becoming an Expert By Experience. I still maintain this position and I provide talks on care and evaluate care on KCC’s behalf.

It was then time to look to join an organisation that matches my principals and aims of care and as I wanted to stay in my field of passion which is care of the elderly, I took the opportunity to join Merryhill Care at Cornerways Residential Home in July 2019. The home had many of the qualities I was looking for and just had a very homely feel. I am thrilled to now be the Manager and look forward to providing the best possible care for our wonderful residents.

What was it like being Senior Clinical Nurse at Guys & St Thomas?
It was a wonderful position and as Guys and St Thomas NHS Trust is considered as one of the most prestigious Hospitals in Europe, It was a real achievement to reach Senior Clinical Nurse there. I managed many great Nurses and worked closely with some fantastic Doctors, it was a privilege to be responsible for providing high level care, a role I took extremely seriously making sure the team I created could deliver this care.

What have you been doing since leaving the Hospital work?
I couldn’t be too far away from trying to improve care in the community. I therefore took it upon myself to work with Kent County Council to create a new initiative care for specialist cases, this type of care had never been provided in the format I formulated and with KCC assistance we managed to bring this care to fruition. Thus far the scheme has been a success resulting in 3 to 4 year full care integration to be done within 6 months. I now have the title of Expert by Experience for KCC, which means I give talks and evaluate specialist care on their behalf, this is a role I’m very passionate about as it demonstrates with the right strategy and team you can provide to any complex care scenario.

You are an Expert by Experience for Kent County Council, what does this entail?
This means Kent County Council have recognised my skillsets and past achievements and feel I can offer them advice on specialist care matters. I now get involved in discussion and talks that KCC are having and we work as a team to achieve our underlying goal, which is to provide high quality care in the community.

What made you join Merryhill Care?
Once I made my decision to work for a care organisation, I wanted to make sure that I joined a company that matched my beliefs in how care should be delivered and wanted to concentrate in elderly care. I met one of the owners of Merryhill Care and it was obvious that their idea of care and how it should be delivered was in line with mine. The home itself had such a lovely feel about it, that I knew that this was a wonderful opportunity to be part of a company that shares my vision. After being here some time now I have to say it is a wonderful management team, that work for each other to ensure the residents get all the care requirements that they need.

Now you are the registered manager of Cornerways Residential Home, what are your goals?
My vision and the company’s vision are very simple, to provide the highest care possible for the residents. This means a well structured team, covering all skillsets with the right attitude. I have always understood that people have their own issues but if you decide to take on a career in care in any setting, then once you walk through that door then it is not about you it is about providing the very best care for the residents. Personal issues have to be left behind and full concentration and effort has to be given. When you hear the life stories of these residents you cannot help but be compassionate to their needs and I want their home to be a home of joy.

I strive for this each and every day.

What hobbies do you have?
I have many hobbies but I’m fond of singing and baking. We have already started baking classes at the home, the residents love doing this. It is also our intention to start singing classes as well and we have some carers that have expressed an interest in doing this activity.

Finally who is your favourite Singer?
Well recently I went to see Michael Buble in concert, which was fantastic.

A word from the owners
I would like to take this opportunity to say congratulations to Siobhan Lyell on becoming the registered manager of Cornerways Residential Home. It was very obvious from our initial meetings that we shared the same visions of how care should be delivered. We are very focused on creating strong teams and we genuinely feel Siobhan’s experience and knowledge is second to none and we are very fortunate in having someone of her calibre looking after the residents. I would encourage any family that either has a loved one at Cornerways or thinking about putting a loved one in Cornerways to take some time to get to know Siobhan, I am sure you will find her to be sympathetic to the needs of the individual and will utilise all her skill and knowledge to put a care plan in place that will deliver the very best care possible to your loved one.