Meet our Nursing team, the experts in clinical care
The registered nurses in our Nursing team come with years of clinical expertise and experience under their belts, enabling us to provide safe and personalised care for people with more complex healthcare needs.
The Clinical Care team works with continuing healthcare (CHC) teams and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to arrange fast-track home care packages that enable people to live in the comfort of their own homes. The team boasts extensive experience in the care sector, from working with charities and the NHS to providing one-to-one care.
Learn more about our nursing care services or get in touch with our team of clinical experts today to find out more.
Enabling customers to stay at home helps them feel that they are more able to retain their own individualism and independence in familiar surroundings with the people that they love.
Meet our Clinical Nurse team
Deanna Lane, Senior Clinical Lead
Deanna has worked in a variety of different care homes as the registered nursing manager, supporting people with spinal injuries, tracheostomies, stomas, PEG feeding tubes and those who required assistance with bowel and bladder management. She also has extensive experience in training others in nursing practices such as moving and handling, health and safety, safeguarding, first aid, infection control, fire training and governance. She was also the training lead for the Gloucestershire Care Home Support team, giving her a county-wide forum to cascade training initiatives.
Deanna’s qualifications include a masters in Management, professional courses such as Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and National Examination Board in Health and Safety (NEBOSH). She is also registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
As well has her extensive nursing experience, Deanna has won various awards during her time working in care homes, including Care Home Manager of the Year 2012 at the Great South West Care Awards. She has also featured in a video by the Social Care Institute of Excellence (SCIE) on dementia and end-of-life care.
Carole Kerton-Church, Regional Clinical Lead for South East
Carole is a Registered Nurse and joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council in 2007, acquiring her Nursing Diploma at at Anglia Ruskin University. Since then, she has worked in acute hospitals, as a Community Nurse and as GP Nurse.
She has supported people with a variety of different conditions, including multiple sclerosis, cancer and motor neurone disease, and has a keen interest in palliative care and elderly care.
Carole says: ” I am passionate about proactive care and health education and I have been lucky enough not only to look after, but also work alongside so many different people – I’ve heard so many amazing and often inspiring stories. Working for Helping Hands enables me and my colleagues to support people in their own home – the place where most people want to stay for as long as they can. It’s so important and extremely rewarding.”
Kathryn Mahon, Regional Clinical Lead for Central
Kathryn is the Regional Clinical Lead for the Central region. She joined Helping Hands in May 2021 and is loving being part of a strong, cohesive and knowledgeable team. 
“I am from a family of nurses and as a teenager my parents owned and ran a Residential Home for the Elderly in which I had my first job. The standards of care that they gave the residents provided me with a solid focus on how care should be delivered.
I am really proud to be part of a team of dedicated carers and indeed all our colleagues, whilst always remaining focussed that the wheel of success would not turn without everyone’s valuable contribution.
Initially Helping Hands approached me and encouraged me to apply for this role; I’m so very pleased they did as this is the role I have been looking for. My main objectives within this role are to be a valuable member of the Clinical Team and deliver sound training and support to carers and colleagues to continue the high standards of care. I love the variety of being able to work from home but also getting out and about around the region and I really am looking forward to meeting more of my colleagues and our customers.”
Kathryn started working towards her Diploma in Adult Nursing in 1992 and qualified in 1996. In 2005, she obtained her BSc (Hons) in Specialist Community Public Health and then worked as a Health Visitor until 2015. She also has diploma modules in teaching, asthma management and health promotion.
Whilst at college in 1988, Kathryn began working part-time in a Nursing home; then had a variety of care roles until she qualified as a Nurse in 1996, including as a live-in carer. As well as being a Health Visitor, she has worked for NHS Direct as a Quality and Audit Nurse, the ambulance service, GP practices, GP out of hours as a Triage Nurse and held deputy manager posts in care homes. Kathryn firmly believe there is always scope to learn and enhance skills and loves that she is able to do this on a daily basis.
Nicki Wood, Regional Clinical Lead for South West
Having trained at Southampton General Hospital from 1992 to 1995, which was a regional centre for Neurology and Orthopaedics, Nicki gained her qualification in nursing. After qualifying, she undertook a rotational role within the Cancer Care Directorate at the Royal South Hants Hospital. From there she moved to the Countess Mountbatten Hospice in Southampton to develop further knowledge and skills in Palliative Care.
In 1998, worked at the local hospice as a nurse on the inpatient unit. From there, she moved on to community nursing in Cornwall. In 2004, she was given a development opportunity with Macmillan Cancer Support and became a clinical nurse specialist in Palliative Care. Nicki also undertook a course at Glasgow University where she developed links with other clinical nurse specialists.
After 7 years in the post, she moved into management and was responsible for a team of nurses delivering specialist treatments in the private sector and was a responsible manager with CQC for the service. She then went back to community services working at a strategic level with commissioners.
In 2016, Nicki returned to a clinical role as a Peripatetic Nurse based within community hospitals, and in 2019, she went to work for a government department as a nurse. In 2020, at the start of the Covid pandemic, she volunteered to work in intensive care learning new skills in ventilation, tracheostomy care and nursing clinically complex patients. She then decided to move back to a client-based role with Helping Hands.
Kerry Whittingham, Regional Clinical Lead for East
Hi there! I’m Kerry and I am the Regional Clinical Lead Nurse for the East of England. I joined Helping Hands in June 2021, absolutely love my job and plan to stay for as long as the company wants me! The role itself involves supporting our Live-in and Visiting services with training the carers and producing our customers’ individual person-centred Support Plans. It can sometimes involve a lot of driving, but I absolutely love driving too!
I began my career in care in 2010 as a Support Worker for adults with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. In this role I really found my passion for care and knew I wanted to take it further. I completed NVQ’s in Health and Social Care, Leadership and Equality and Diversity.
I then applied for a place at Nottingham University to study Adult Nursing and was ecstatic when I was accepted. Nottingham University is one of the most prestigious Universities in the world and studying with them was one of the best experiences I’ve had. I spent some of my time during the course supporting the Student Council and really made the most out of my time there; I was very fortunate to have such a broad variety of placements in most health care specialities. I completed my course and began Nursing on an Acute Surgical Ward, caring for some of the most acutely unwell patients’ who had all different types of complex surgery including Bariatric Gastric Band Surgery. It was here where I worked with the most articulate Senior Nurses who took compliance and documentation standards very seriously and of course, I followed suit and really developed my confidence in my ability to work to the highest of standards. I then expanded my wings and worked as a Flexible Nurse in every area of the Trust, getting a feel for all different specialities and expanding my confidence, knowledge, and skills.
Rebecca Bennett, Regional Clinical Lead for live-in
I have worked and studied within care for the past 6 years but was involved with personal care for relatives for many years prior to this. I chose to work in the care industry following my Nanna’s prolonged stay in hospital and seeing the excellent care that she was provided for many months following a planned heart operation. The care that she received opened my eyes to what working within the healthcare system could be like and I discovered that this was something that I was very passionate about.
I always endeavour to make patient safety my top priority and aim to ensure that both my customer and their loved ones are happy and confident in the care that is being provided to them. Through observing the care given to my Nanna I realised how much trust is put into those within the healthcare profession, to keep people’s loved ones safe when their family/friends are unable to, and think it is a privilege to work within this industry.
In my free time I am a bit of a self-proclaimed geek and will mainly be found reading books (thrillers and fantasy are some of my favourite genres), playing video games or cooking/dining out.
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We’re here seven days a week to talk through your home care needs and find the best option for you. Call 03300376958 or request a callback and we will call you.
