We want to ensure that you have accurate and reliable information at your fingertips, which is why we have a combination of expert professionals and qualified clinicians to ensure that the content you read is exactly that.
With a combined clinical experience of over 40 years and a wide range of University qualifications, our team of experts are here to provide you with the information you need in an empathetic and uncomplicated manner.
Our Expert Professionals
Here at Helping Hands, each of our clinical experts have been selected due to their extensive knowledge and experience within the care industry. We ensure that the information we provide is reliable and trustworthy, which is why all of our articles are vetted and reviewed by our expert professionals. With qualifications from the Royal College of Nursing to a national award in UK Dementia Care, our team of Clinical Nurse Managers and Dementia Specialists combined offers a growing portfolio of expertise, ensuring that you are only given information that is accurate and transparent.
Meet Deanna Lane
Deanna has worked as a nurse for 35 years and is registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council. She has worked in hospitals as well as care homes, winning Care Home Manager of the Year in 2012.
Find out moreMeet Carole Kerton-Church
Carole started her care and nursing career as a healthcare assistant in a nursing home in 1998. She has since managed a large residential care home and completed her Nursing Diploma at Anglia Ruskin University.
Find out moreMeet Kathryn Mahon
Kathryn Mahon achieved her Diploma in Adult Nursing in 1996. In 2005, she obtained her BSc (Hons) in Specialist Community Public Health and then worked as a Health Visitor until 2015.
Find out moreMeet Kerry Whittingham
Kerry has worked in many health settings since qualifying as a nurse, including the pharmaceutical industry, as a support worker and as a nurse advisor. As the future of nursing changes, she aims to keep patients cared for in their own homes for as long as possible.
Find out moreMeet Rebecca Bennett
Rebecca has worked and studied within care for the past six years but was involved with personal care for relatives for many years prior to this. She always endeavours to make patient safety her top priority and aims to ensure that both her customers and their loved ones are happy and confident in the care that is being provided to them.
Find out moreMeet Carmen Dussoye
Carmen has worked within care and nursing in various roles for 24 years. She considers being part of a person’s care and health journey a privilege and is passionate about supporting people to remain in their home environment along with promoting independence and choice.
Find out moreMeet Lucy Childs
Lucy worked for Helping Hands as a carer in Plymouth while she completed her adult nursing degree, and during that time she developed her passion for delivering person-centred care for people in their own homes.
Find out moreMeet Louise Bradley
With a wealth of care experience in both managerial and carer roles, Louise has worked closely with a variety of different conditions including dementia, Parkinson’s, and general elderly care, among many others.
Find out moreMeet Samantha Grabham
Samantha has worked for Helping Hands for 27 years, joining as a live-in carer before progressing through the roles to Live-in Care Manager. Samantha has worked with an array of conditions, including dementia, stroke and Parkinson's.
Find out moreMeet Wendy Sear
Wendy has worked in the healthcare sector for over 28 years in a range of different roles, such as an administrator for a group of care homes including drug and alcohol dependency, nursing and residential homes.
Find out moreMeet Sarah Franklin
Sarah has a Bachelor of Arts in History and English, as well as a post-16 teaching qualification (DTLLS) and a Postgraduate certificate in professional education studies. She loves combining her passion for lifelong learning and creative writing and is both a dementia champion and content writer for Helping Hands.
Find out moreExternal Medical Authors
It is our privilege to have medical experts who specialise in their respective fields contribute to the content that we publish.
Meet Mark Dallas
Dr Dallas joined the School of Pharmacy at the University of Reading in 2013. He began his scientific career at the University of Dundee, before moving south to carry out a PhD at the University of Leeds.
Find out moreMeet Brendan McCormack
Professor Brendan McCormack is Head of The Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery (inc. Sydney Nursing School) and Dean Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney
Find out moreMeet Raj Senniappan
Raj trained as an occupational therapist in India and moved to UK in 2005, starting his career as a junior occupational therapist at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. When he initially qualified, Raj worked in India for about two years before moving to the UK.
Find out moreMeet Snorri Rafnsson
Dr. Snorri Bjorn Rafnsson BSc (Hons.), MSc (Edin), PhD (Edin), PGCHE, FHEA, FRSPH (UK) currently serves as Associate Professor of Ageing and Dementia in the Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory, School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of West London.
Find out moreMeet Judith Sixsmith
Judith Sixsmith is currently Professor of Health-Related Research in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Dundee. Her research focuses on ways of improving the health and wellbeing of older people marginalised within social systems.
Find out moreMeet Baroness Ilora Finlay
Baroness Ilora Finlay is a Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Velindre Cancer Centre and Honorary Professor of Palliative Medicine, Cardiff University.
Find out moreOur Blog Contributors
You will find a wide range of relevant and helpful articles across the Helping Hands website. These are compiled by our dedicated and experienced team based at our Head Office in Warwickshire. Covering expertise in learning disabilities, psychology and journalism, the team have built up a wealth of knowledge in the care sector.
Meet Jaskiran Jutla
Jaskiran has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Film & TV Studies and has written for a variety of national publications, including Woman magazine, Bella, Total TV Guide and TV Choice.
Find out more