Lilibet Manor Manager Leah Houghton has a very personal experience of supporting people with complex needs, and she says this has always helped shape her approach to delivering the very best care.
When Leah was training to be a mental health nurse in 2010, both of her grandparents were diagnosed with dementia within a few months of each other and she and her mum helped to look after them.
“It formed part of my training, and I knew then that when I qualified in 2010 older adults’ mental health was the area I wanted to specialise in,” she explains.
It could have all ended up very differently for Leah though because before she decided to be a nurse, she was singer on the entertainment circuit in her native south Wales and did a summer season in Blackpool. She was also Blue Coat at Pontins where she was a vocalist.
She says: “I turned down an offer to join the cruise ships. It was tempting to see the world whilst singing but I wanted something more stable and that led me to a career in mental health.”
As a Mental Health Nurse, Leah worked in various adult mental health services, including in residential care.
“For personal reasons I have always had a real interest in dementia and the way you need to communicate with people who have dementia; it’s certainly where I gained a lot of my communications from.”
Leah says she felt a real need to foster so she took a career break for a few years to look after a family of three boys with the help of her mum and three grown up children.
“I was known as a therapeutic foster carer because the boys had a few complex needs, so I took a step away from my nursing to concentrate on this,” she explains.
When she returned to nursing, Leah became an agency nurse for a while before becoming a manager of an independent rehabilitation mental health hospital for men.
She then joined Lilibet Manor as our Manager in August 2024 and believes it’s a great fit for her.
Leah adds: “Because I have worked with so many different client groups, such as older adults with complex care needs, older adults with dementia and rehabilitation, I can take a real holistic approach to how we deliver care.
“There are obviously new internal processes to learn but there is nothing I haven’t experienced in the past in one form.
“The team at Lilibet Manor are fantastic and everyone is board with what we are trying to achieve here.
“The fact I have staff willing and wanting to come along with me on this journey and move the service forward make my job so much easier.
“I have sold my house in Blackpool and moved to within a mile of Lilibet Manor, so I hope that demonstrates my commitment. I am here to stay, and my goal is to make Lilibet Manor Constantia’s gold standard care home.”
Outside of work, Leah continues to sing and is the lead singer in a rock and which she jokes play “Dad’s rock.”
She adds: “I have two alter egos, but you’ll often see my bringing my own equipment and singing at events.
“I am a big believer in music therapy and whilst I joke about it, that’s where I merge my alter egos!”
