Meet the team

Your Richmond & Twickenham Bluebirds

Our Bluebirds boast a rare combination of passion and professionalism.

Read on to get to know the Bluebird Care Richmond & Twickenham team... 

Peter Slough

Managing Director and Owner

Peter’s first experience of arranging care was fraught and riddled with anxiety. “Finding care at short notice and trying to work with companies with no customer service ethos was frustrating. That’s when I thought there must be a better way!” Fast forward to 2023 and with over a decade of industry experience, Peter owns and manages three London-based Bluebird Care offices. 

 

After university he worked for an NGO in New Delhi, using his law degree to change government policy and improve lives. This passion for transformative change permeates his operation of Bluebird Care Richmond & Twickenham. “We are changing lives for the better, providing local residents the opportunity to create their very best in-home support structure, delivered by Bluebirds. Requiring care and support can make one feel quite vulnerable. Our aim is to make choosing care an empowering moment, one that unlocks positive outcomes with the ultimate goal of remaining safe and happy at home.”

 

With his first foray into arranging care for a family member ending in disappointment, Peter notes, “Our most important ethos is to provide professional care that keeps each customer at the heart of their service… care that we would be happy for our own families to receive. Delivering a consistently compassionate, highly skilled, professional service is why two thirds of our new customers come to us via personal recommendation.” 

 

Peter and his young family enjoy exploring the borough with outings including Kew Gardens in the summer and ice skating at Hampton Court Palace in the winter. 

Tim Rowland Jones

Managing Director and Owner

Tim’s wealth of experience in business management informs his oversight of Bluebird Care Richmond & Twickenham. Having helmed a multi-channel retail business before opening his first Bluebird Care office, Tim says, “I don’t think many people dream of running a home care company… I certainly didn’t! But when my grandfather’s dementia worsened I became acutely aware of the need for exceptional, empathetic care. This lived experience pushed me to open my first Bluebird Care office and set the high standards we’ve maintained for over a decade.”

 

Insisting his colleagues are trained beyond industry standard, each Care Assistant is encouraged to develop specialisms ranging from dementia and post-op rehabilitation to Parkinson’s, MND, complex care, challenging behaviour, palliative care and nutrition and hydration. “Our aim is to match each customer to their ideal Care Assistants by personality and expertise. Whilst our customers are at the centre of what we do, our Bluebirds are the heartbeat of the company - their kindness, compassion, and professionalism set us apart.”

 

As the owner of three Bluebird Care offices across London and the South West, Tim can’t imagine working in any other industry. “It’s an unbeatable feeling, being involved in a local business that changes lives. My father is now receiving live-in care which has been life-changing so I am passionate about providing this service to Richmond and Twickenham residents.”

 

Spotting the Richmond Park deer has become a favourite pastime of Tim’s young family, as has feeding the ducks on Barnes pond.

Jacqui McPherson

Registered Care Manager

Jacqui brings over two decades of industry experience to her role of Registered Care Manager, including 14 in management positions. She is proud to lead a team of consummate care professionals who deliver the gold standard of care to our customers in the Richmond borough. A ‘customer first’ mentality coupled with an unwavering focus on individualised, outcome-focussed, holistic care has led to an exceptional local reputation for Bluebird Care.

 

She began her career in care whilst her husband served in His Majesty’s army and immediately fell in love with the industry. Jacqui says, “The satisfaction of knowing you provide an essential service to a vulnerable adult that allows them to live their life to the full, no matter their needs, is simply unbeatable.”

 

She holds a Level 5 diploma in Leadership in Health and Social Care and Children and Young People Services (Adult Management) alongside a variety of other qualifications in leadership, business, and administration, all achieved throughout her care career journey.

 

Jacqui loves the peaceful early morning vistas of Kew, Richmond and Twickenham but for more raucous excitement she brings her young grandchildren to The Works for arts and crafts.

Kelly Bennett

Office Operations Manager

The stuff of local legend, Kelly boasts eleven years with Bluebird Care. Her passion for people drove her to achieve her CIPD Associate Level Diploma in People Management and her Level 3 and Level 4 in Human Resources alongside a QCF in Business Administration. Kelly knows every one of our Bluebirds, having handpicked and onboarded almost every team member. She says of her role, "We hire for values - compassion, kindness, empathy - and train for excellence. These are the innate qualities I am looking for in our hires."

 

An integral member of our Richmond & Twickenham team, she is often described as the glue that knits the team together. She loves the pace and variety of her role in operations and recruitment – particularly meeting our locally-based Care Assistants, supporting them through their onboarding and watching them flourish.

 

A lifelong local resident, Kelly enjoys attending the cinema in Richmond as it takes her back to watching films in the same venue!

Natasha Coombes

Training Manager

Natasha offers our team over three decades of experience in health and social care. She began her career as a Care Assistant and has worn a variety of hats including Assistant Manager and Registered Care Manager before returning to her true passion – training and education. Natasha joined Bluebird Care as our Training Manager seven years ago and provides the industry-leading training for which we are renowned. She holds the NVQ Level 4 Care and Registered Manager's Award as well as training, assessing and internal quality assurance qualifications and regularly updates her knowledge with ‘Train the Trainer’ courses.

  

Natasha supports our Care Assistants to understand the importance, rewards, and responsibilities of their role, training them in various occupational competencies such as moving and handling, medication administration and basic life support (to name just a few). She keenly develops the learning goals of each Bluebird which results in specialists emerging from our team with a focus in reablement, dementia, Parkinsons, complex care, and palliative care. For those team members wishing to pursue Health and Social Care diplomas, Natasha is their mentor and supports them through their education which is fully funded by Bluebird Care. She says of her role, “I am privileged to support such a committed team to achieve their learning outcomes which ultimately result in safe, effective, person-centred care.”

 

Natasha has fond memories featuring several parks in our borough where her children played, learned to ride their bikes, and played football when they were young.

Sylwia Sobolewska

Care Development Lead

Sylwia smooths every new customer’s journey in care, working collaboratively with our potential new customers and their families to answer questions and demystify the home and live-in care process during a complimentary in-home or in-hospital Care Consultation. An expert listener, she gets to know our new customers’ needs, requirements, and personalities so she can craft their ideal custom care plan and match them with professional Care Assistants.

I am best placed to explain the Bluebird Care difference. All care providers are not created equal!

She joined Bluebird Care in 2009, having relocated from the Lake District, and has worked for care homes and another Richmond-based care company. “I am best placed to explain the Bluebird Care difference. All care providers are NOT created equal... Bluebird Care is unequivocally a cut above every other home and live-in care company in Richmond & Twickenham. Having extensive experience in the care home environment, I can say with authority that the most person-centred care experience takes place at home. This is why I love my job… I am able to help local people stay safe and happy at home for as long as they desire, giving them a fantastic experience of care.”

 

She relishes the opportunity to meet new people and create care plans that lift anxiety from family and friends, enabling them to spend unencumbered quality time with their loved ones. A qualified care professional with 18 years in the industry, she has achieved her Level 4 Lead Practitioner qualification and also holds a degree in Tourism and Recreation. Sylwia has specialist knowledge of various fields including dementia care, palliative care, and complex care.

 

Sylwia enjoys running in Bushy Park and along the Thames path and notes, “Richmond is my favourite borough in London… where else can you find such tranquillity and peace?”

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