A SPECIALIST, expanding North East home-care service has recruited a new manager to lead its Hexham branch.

Pam Smith will oversee day to day operations at Helping Hands Community Care, drive quality assurance and manage a growing care team.

Pam (52) from Consett brings with her a wealth of experience having worked in residential care for more than 20 years and, more recently, as a health and social care tutor where she taught leadership and management courses to care professionals.

Her main objective is to maintain high levels of care across the west branch of Helping Hands, which provides a broad range of homecare services to people in local communities.

David Harrison, managing director at Helping Hands, said: “Pam is a welcome addition to the organisation. Many in the team already know Pam as she’s provided regular leadership training to managers over the last couple of years. When she applied for the role, her experience and skills as well as character and values were a perfect fit for us.

“It’s great to have Pam on board to ensure standards of care remain consistently high across every service we provide.”

Helping Hands provides care and support services to hundreds of people across Northumberland, North Tyneside and Gateshead.

The west Northumberland branch office team, operating from Hexham, along with more than 100 home-care workers, oversee and deliver complex care and dementia support to around 250 adults in the area.

Pam added: “It’s great to join such a highly respected care provider like Helping Hands.

"I’ve learnt so much about the culture within the organisation and the team’s values which always struck a chord with me when I visited, and it was this that encouraged me to apply for the branch manager role. I’m looking forward to ensuring our quality care standards continue."