Not-for-profit dementia specialist Belong has named Cheryl Davies as the new general manager for its Macclesfield village, marking a welcome return to the community for the highly experienced care leader.
Her latest move in a care career spanning more than three decades sees Cheryl return to Upton Priory following three years as general manager at sister village Belong Crewe, where her inspirational leadership saw its team pick up a number of industry accolades, including wins at the National Dementia Care Awards and the Great British Care Awards.
Until 2021, Cheryl was Belong Macclesfield’s registered manager with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), responsible for both its 24-hour care and nursing provision for 72 residents. Prior to this, she established the group’s home care service, Belong at Home, providing domiciliary assistance to its tenants in its 18 independent living apartments, as well as people within the locale.
Now, back at the village in the role of general manager, she has a wider brief and ambitions to build on its strengths. Cheryl explains: “It’s wonderful to return to Belong Macclesfield. Whilst I’ve been away, the village and team have attained significant milestones and I plan to continue this success to reach more people.
“There are many familiar faces, including a dozen colleagues from when we opened 17 years ago – they’re still here! It really is a testament to Belong as an employer; it’s a fantastic place to work and I’m thrilled to be back.”
Among Cheryl’s plans include expanding the village’s experiences and activities programme and raising awareness of its specialist day care service, Experience Days. She will also maintain the village’s quality assurance credentials, namely its Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating and Platinum Gold Standards Framework status for end-of-life care provision. The Belong group also holds the Gold Investors in People accreditation as it continues to champion the local workforce with extensive training and professional development opportunities for those interested in building a career in care.
Sue Goldsmith, Belong chief operating officer, added: “We’re very pleased to appoint Cheryl to head up our Macclesfield team. She has an intricate knowledge of our organisation, our customers’ needs, and she already has strong links with the community. As a result, she’s well-respected, well-liked and we’re confident she will be quickly prove to be a great asset to the village team.”
The appointment was made in tandem with the move of Macclesfield’s former general manager Caroline Ray to lead the team at the newest Belong village in Chester
