Meet the team

Joanna recently celebrated eleven years with Bluebird Care Richmond & Twickenham. She began her career as a Care Assistant, progressing to a senior role and then on to the critical role of Support Supervisor.

Joanna supports our Care Assistants in the field with close monitoring, mentoring and quality assurance. Our new recruits are guided through their probationary period by Joanna to achieve their Care Certificate. If a customer has an urgent concern, Joanna is on hand to attend and assist. Her weekly visits to our live-in care customers ensure an unmatched quality and consistency of care. Joanna provides a primary link between our Care Assistants in the field and our office support team. She holds a Level 3 NVQ in Health and Social Care.

She discovered a passion for care when she lived with her grandmother in Poland. When she arrived in the UK, her first job was as a waitress in Hammersmith’s Polish Social and Cultural Association where she served war veterans and elderly members of the Polish community. When one of her diners asked if Joanna could do some shopping for her, she began to explore a career in care. She met her fiancé, and now husband, Bruce ten years ago, who was then a Bluebird Care Assistant, when they attended a ‘double up’ customer call together one morning. Love blossomed and a decade later they married!

Joanna enjoys watching the swans and ducks on the pond in Ham Common and walks through Richmond’s incomparable Isabella Plantation. She says, “I love my job because whilst I ensure quality and safety, I also spread caring and kindness. It’s what the world needs!”

With two decades of care experience, Virginie has been an integral part of the Bluebird Care team for a decade. She started as a Care Assistant, earning the prestigious Great British Care Award's 'Carer of the Year' for the London region, and was promoted to Support Supervisor in the field. As a Customer Care Manager, she supports her individual customers by delivering outcome-focussed plans that help them achieve their goals. When Virginie meets with her customers, she not only reviews their recent months of care but looks ahead, forecasting and troubleshooting each journey in care to ensure her customers can remain safe and happy at home.

Virginie came to the industry after caring for her late husband. Observing the professional Care Assistants at work inspired her to pursue a career in care.  Virginie has a host of qualifications including a degree in Economics, an NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care and a further diploma in Childcare and Education. She received her Train the Trainer qualification in Moving and Handling. 

She says of her role, “My work makes me happy. Knowing I helped make my customers’ lives easier gives me a fresh sense of accomplishment every day.”  

Virginie enjoys long walks in Richmond Park and Bushy Park. Our fluent French speaker be spotted in Paul, her favourite patisserie, and says of the area, “I love the feeling of being in the countryside whilst being a stone’s throw from central London.”

As a Customer Care Manager overseeing live-in and long-shift customers, Sophie supports her customers and their families and advocates to ensure their personal care plans are robust and seamlessly delivered. As care requirements organically evolve, so does each customer’s care plan – Sophie ensures each customer has a care plan that anticipates and meets their needs. With a keen focus on personal preferences and outcomes, Sophie effortlessly undertakes the most challenging duties. From liaising with family members and health care professionals to sourcing specialist equipment, Sophie is an exceptional 'care concierge' for her customers. Additionally, she manages and supports her customers’ Care Assistants to ensure the smooth and professional delivery of care.

Like many of our Bluebirds, Sophie chose a career in care to help make a difference in people’s lives. With a career spanning 15 years, she joined Bluebird Care 8 years ago as a Support Supervisor. Her ability to deftly manage the care journey of our customers was spotted and she was promoted to Customer Care Manager. She loves finding ways to help improve her customers’ everyday lives, suggesting and implementing changes that have a lasting impact. A qualified care professional, Sophie holds her NVQ Level 2 and Level 3 in Health and Social Care.

Sophie can be spotted strolling through Richmond town centre with her young family.

Sarah joined us as a Care Assistant and swiftly progressed to Senior Carer. When a vacancy for Customer Care Manager arose, she was a natural fit. Having joined Bluebird Care to gain hands-on experience towards a degree in social work, she has paused her university course to pursue a Level 5 Diploma, fully funded by the company, to deepen her knowledge and understanding of professional care.

Sarah supports our customers by creating tailored plans that can organically and fluidly adapt to meet their needs as amendments are required. She is the first port of call for absolutely any requirement her customer may have; our Customer Care Managers provide a ‘North Star’ service that ranges from organising a handyman to liaising with other health care professionals to sourcing bespoke training for a customer's preferred Care Assistant so they can continue to receive a person-centred service.

When asked to describe her favourite part of the borough, she notes autumn river walks as the leaves are turning and weekend strolls through Richmond Park with her young family.

Vandana embarked upon a career in care in 2007 and after a break to raise her children she joined the Bluebird Care Richmond & Twickenham fold in 2021. A meticulous organiser with an eye for detail, she plans our customers’ rotas on a weekly basis according to their ever-evolving care plans.

Vandana enjoys liaising with our care team to ensure their customers are looked after during periods of annual leave and illness – a top priority for both customers and Care Assistants. She works alongside our Customer Care Managers to ensure an outstanding quality of care is consistently delivered. She says of her role, “I love building good relationships with our care team, customers, and their family members.” Her qualifications include a BSc in Health Studies and a Higher National Diploma in Health and Social Care.  

She loves the open spaces of Richmond Park, taking her children there to play and enjoy the tapestry of wildlife.

Zarina became a Bluebird Care Assistant during the Covid pandemic. She finished an undergraduate degree in Design and Technology and became a Health Advisor for 111. Pining for a return to home and live-in care, she pursued a career in Care Coordination in the Ealing borough. Our long-serving Care Coordinator Kym's retirement opened the opportunity for a glorious return to the Bluebird fold. 

Why has Zarina chosen a career in care? "It's the connections you form with your customers and carers. They are so special, so precious, and take time to build. In care, a foundation of trust is important. The opportunity to forge that trust is a privilege." Why Care Coordination? "I am absurdly organised. Coordinating is an art that requires the highest level of organisation so this really suits my ability! I like to be ahead of the curve, anticipating our customers' and carers' wants and needs."

A lifelong West Londoner, she loves strolling through central Richmond, visiting local art galleries and reading crime thrillers.