A former operating theatre nurse has been hailed as “one of the best” after tasting success in a new field.
Denise Roth, 54, has now been honoured at an awards ceremony after swapping to work in a care home in Wrexham.
She worked for 25 years at Wrexham Maelor Hospital before before starting a new career as a senior care practitioner at Highfield House, which is part of the Pendine Park care organisation.
Denise has passed her Level 3 diploma in health and social care after studying with Smarcare Training, which is Pendine Park’s training arm.
She was presented with her diploma by the Mayor of Wrexham Cllr Alan Edwards and Cllr Jim Kelly, a long-term supporter and ambassador of Pendine Park at a ceremony held at the Catrin Finch Centre at Glyndwr University in Wrexham.
Denise was among a record number of 194 people trained by Wrexham-based Smartcare this year.
She said: “My work at Highfield House is very different to what I did at the Maelor Hospital. I enjoy the daily contact I have with residents which is something I didn’t really have before.
“I like the Pendine Park ethos and the standard of care we, as a team, strive to achieve. I feel that I am making a difference and that gives me a great deal of satisfaction.”
“I couldn’t have done it without Ann Farr, my assessor, who has been brilliant. I’m more hands on and don’t like working on computers or filling in forms. That was accepted straight away and I was able to complete the course without too much trouble.
“I actually really enjoyed it and it proves it’s never too late to learn new skills. I am now able to use the knowledge I gained completing the course into my daily work. And that has definitely given me more confidence.”
Ann Farr, who also manages Smartcare, says Denise is one of the best care practitioners she knows.
She said: “She really deserves her level 3 award and I hope she now considers moving onto the Level 5 award. Denise was always up-to-date with her work which was invariably submitted early.
“She worked exceptionally hard and clearly relishes her new role at Pendine Park.”
Ms Farr added “Smartcare continues to go from strength to strength and we now have a team of 16 assessors supporting learners who are working with people in residential care at a number of different establishments across the region.
“They are taking the knowledge they learn to improve the lives of the vulnerable people in their care.”
She was delighted to once again work closely with Coleg Cambria whose principal and chief executive David Jones said: “It is a delight to work with Ann Farr and her Smartcare team and we have a long standing and excellent relationship with Pendine Park.
“The social care sector is so very important and Pendine Park works exceptionally hard to ensure standards of care are always being improved upon.”
