Darwin Place - Swanton Care, is a small residential home located in the picturesque town of Much Wenlock. This location is steeped in history and has so much to offer, holding the first Olympic Games and being equidistant between the North and South trading route.
Hello, I’m Lorraine Barford, the Registered Manager at Darwin Place. I have worked in adult social care for over 30 years, and I am immensely passionate about the support we offer those in our care.
During my time in adult social care I have worked in a broad spectrum of services, commissioned with many different authorities, supported people with varied needs, worked within various professional roles with many differing responsibilities.
I believe passionately about rights, choices, dignity, and respect. I strive to ensure we provide many opportunities for the people we support. Believing in the social model and ensuring barriers are reduced ensures equality of opportunity.
Outside of work I have a full and active life with a very large and ever extending family. Rarely a month goes by without a celebration of some kind; I am incredibly fortunate. Recently I became the proud owner of a motorhome, which has been a dream of mine for many years. I look forward to my upcoming adventures.
I started my career in 2003 as a bank support worker and I have worked hard to progress. I was promoted within a year to a Team Leader, then a Registered Manager, I make it my mission to ensure that every person has a voice and a person-centred plan in place.
I joined Emerald Care Services as a Registered Manager in 2019 and I was delighted in 2022 to be promoted to the Regional Operations Director for the Central and Yorkshire Region for Swanton Care.
It’s my passion to ensure that I provide the guidance to my teams to enable them to care for people we support at an outstanding level. I am committed to making a difference to the lives of the people we support and my team, whilst being present in each area of my region, making the time to visit each home as much as possible.
Chief Executive Officer Gary Thompson is the Responsible Individual for Darwin Place. To find out more, visit our Meet The Team page.
The Swanton ethos is a huge part of everyday life at Darwin Place, we pride ourselves on providing a person-centred approach, quality care and meaningful engagement. At Darwin Place - Swanton Care, we believe in inclusivity, opportunity, and choice; working hard to build a good community presence. The people we support regularly visit the local amenities in the town but also enjoy taking a walk in the local nature parks.
We have good relationships with our authorities and are rated ‘GOOD’ in all areas from CQC.
Our last inspection referred to conversations they had with relativities: ‘All staff are brilliant; I couldn’t be happier, I really can’t think of anything they could do better’.
A person living at Darwin had said: ‘The staff are really great. I am happy here.”
CQC also recorded in their summary that ‘staff understood the importance of ensuring people’s rights were understood and protected, also that people living at Darwin had maximum choice and control of their own lives.’
