CARE village operator Belong has appointed a long-serving staff member as the new general manager at its Crewe home.

Cheryl Davies was previously support manager at Belong Macclesfield and her career with Belong spans over a decade, joining as registered manager of its home care service, Belong at Home, which she helped establish in 2010.

In all she has over 27 years' experience in a range of care sector roles.

Cheryl said: "When I started working in care, at 15 years old, this was my dream job. I love Belong's ethos and how the organisation places the individual at the centre of everything we do.

"My priorities now are getting to know everyone at the village and retaining its CQC Outstanding rating. Key to this will be maintaining strong management and support teams, as well as listening to and acting on feedback from residents, their relatives, and colleagues."

As support manager at Belong Macclesfield, Cheryl shared knowledge and ideas with Belong villages in Crewe and Warrington as part of the organisation's job swap scheme to improve group-wide standards of care, including industry-leading dementia care.

Belong Chief Operating Officer, Stacey McCann said: "Cheryl's perspectives on driving standards of care at multiple villages make her ideally qualified to be a general manager.

"Her background, including helping to found Belong's award-winning home care service, also gives her a particular understanding of many customers' journeys, which often involve deciding to move to a Belong village after requiring domiciliary care."