At 25 years and still going strong, Dawn Houchen is one of the longest serving members of staff at Longlands and her job has never been more important.
Working as a domestic in a care home has always been a vital, but ‘infection control’ has become even more so following the pandemic.
Dawn’s official hours are 9.15am to 1.45pm but as Manager Tina can testify too, she’s always in early to get started.
And when you consider we have 43 rooms to clean, along with dining and communal areas, it’s certainly non-stop for Dawn but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Dawn says: “I have always loved cleaning, so it doesn’t feel like work to me.
“Since the pandemic it’s become even more important to ensure Longlands is as clean and hygienic as possibly can be, and it is my job to ensure it is.
“We have to follow new guidance such as using special tablets in water when we’re mopping floors and after every room we clean, we need to change into a different apron, mask and gloves; that’s how seriously we take infection control here at Longlands.”
In her spare time, Dawn, 63, enjoys showing her creative side by drawing, although we think she already has cleaning down to an artform!