Meet the Team

At Valerian Court Care Home, we are a team of compassionate and committed individuals who all share the same passion for delivering high-quality, resident-focused care. We believe in building strong relationships, treating each other with respect, and working hard as a team to ensure that all staff, residents, and relatives at Valerian Court Care Home feel valued and fulfilled.

  • Andrei Joanta

    Home Manager
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    Andrei JoantaHome Manager

    Andrei is a registered nurse with experience in hospitals and nursing homes. He has been managing care homes for the last 4 years and is excited to have joined Valerian Court Care Home. His philosophy is that care is not a job but a mission where we all come together to support our loved ones. He believes we continuously learn every day with one goal in mind: to create a home away from home for our residents.

    He is honoured that, together with his team they can be part of this beautiful extended family.

  • Kathy Francis

    Deputy Manager
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    Kathy FrancisDeputy Manager

    Kathy is our Deputy Manager here at Valerian Court and has been a Registered Nurse within the NHS for more than 12 years. Kathy initially specialised in renal care before becoming Ward Sister and later Matron of Acute General Medicine wards. Prior to qualifying as a nurse Kathy worked in a care home and enjoys delivering person-centred care once more. Kathy has a wealth of knowledge and experience in nursing and leadership and is excited to be part of the team at Valerian Court.

  • Harish Kaniyanthara Raghavan

    Head Chef
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    Harish Kaniyanthara RaghavanHead Chef

    Harish joined the team in June 2025 as Head Chef. His passion for gastronomy comes from his mother and you can feel the love in every dish he is cooking. The last 8 years of his career, Harish worked as head chef in care homes delivering a person-centred menu that catered for all tastes

  • Anna Sharp

    Senior Registered Nurse
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    Anna SharpSenior Registered Nurse

    Anna is an experienced Nurse who has a background in critical care, having worked in Intensive Care for 12 years. Anna became part of the team here at Valerian Court to continue her passion for nursing and commitment to ensuring all residents receive the best care.

  • Doris Amponsah

    Registered Nurse
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    Doris AmponsahRegistered Nurse

    Doris is a competent and dedicated registered general nurse with a commitment to providing patient-centred quality health care directly and indirectly whilst developing her nursing knowledge to meet the ever-changing needs of nursing care. “Not only does Valerian Court have a serene environment for its residents but also the lovely people here make you want to stay.”

  • Pooja Rani

    Registered Nurse
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    Pooja RaniRegistered Nurse

    Pooja is a dedicated member of our team, initially joining as a Senior Care Assistant before progressing to Registered Nurse after completing her Adult Nursing qualification. 

  • Judy Mens-Harrison

    Registered Nurse
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    Judy Mens-HarrisonRegistered Nurse

    Judy has a passion and commitment for caring for individuals and is ready to go out of her way to make others happy and feel better.

  • Daisy Mafuka

    Team Leader
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    Daisy MafukaTeam Leader

    Daisy is committed to her work and strives to provide the best care possible. She has a genuine passion for making a difference in people’s lives, which drives her to deliver exceptional care.

  • Ellen Owusu

    Team Leader
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    Ellen OwusuTeam Leader

    Ellen is a registered nurse/midwife in Ghana with five years experience. She is very supportive and compassionate. Ellen’s top priority is seeing the residents well, happy and comfortable with the care she delivers to them. Ellen will continue to gain experience alongside her formal training and examination to gain her UK registration.

  • Comfort Konamah

    Team Leader
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    Comfort KonamahTeam Leader

    Comfort is a registered general and critical care nurse from Ghana with 16 years experience of working in healthcare.

    She has recently been promoted to Team Leader and we look forward to working together as she continues to develop her healthcare career in the UK.

  • Vicencia Entsey

    Team Leader
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    Vicencia EntseyTeam Leader

    Vicencia is a compassionate and supportive worker, specialising in caring for those with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs.

    She has recently been promoted to the role of Team Leader.

  • Vera Musanda

    Team Leader
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    Vera MusandaTeam Leader

    Vera has previous experience in domiciliary care, live-in care and dementia care and has recently relocated to Didcot. She is dedicated to providing the utmost care to our residents and supporting them whilst they continue to do what they love most.

  • Kathryn Callinan

    Senior Care Assistant
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    Kathryn CallinanSenior Care Assistant

    Kathryn works here at Valerian Court as a Senior Care Assistant. She loves to provide resident with compassionate and professional care, helping them feel safe and well supported.

  • Sarbjeet Kaur

    Senior Care Assistant
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    Sarbjeet KaurSenior Care Assistant

    Sarbjeet has joined our team with an array of experience in care and loves to make sure all the residents feel safe and supported.

  • Kenneth Ranasinghe

    Care Assistant
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    Kenneth RanasingheCare Assistant

    Kenneth is passionate about providing around-the-clock care for our residents, ensuring everybody is happy and comfortable at all times.

  • Evandro Da Silva

    Care Assistant
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    Evandro Da SilvaCare Assistant

    Diligent and resident-focused, Evandro approaches his role with calmness and professionalism, ensuring those he supports feel safe, comfortable, and well cared for.

  • Olena Marchuk

    Care Assistant
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    Olena MarchukCare Assistant

    Olena has joined the team with a lot of experience in care and is a great addition to the care team. She is very friendly and loves nothing more than to bring a smile to the faces of our residents.

  • Jane Owulezi

    Care Assistant
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    Jane OwuleziCare Assistant

    Jane is a positive and hardworking member of our team who loves to help and care for all in need.

  • Syama Sasidharan

    Care Assistant
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    Syama SasidharanCare Assistant

    Syama has joined our team here at Valerian Court as a Care Assistant and is happy to be learning and gaining experience every day. Syama looks forward to greeting the residents and supporting and assisting them throughout the day.

  • Ernestina Acheampong

    Care Assistant
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    Ernestina AcheampongCare Assistant

    Ernestina has nine months of experience working in care and has developed a compassionate approach. Ernestina works hard to get to know residents so that she can help them meet their needs.

  • Udeme Okon

    Care Assistant
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    Udeme OkonCare Assistant

    Having worked as a volunteer staff in hospitals back in Nigeria after Udeme left her job as a confidential secretary in an oil and gas company. Udeme joined Valerian Court as a Care Assistant and is willing to learn in order to gain experience daily. Udeme looks forward to supporting and assisting the residents each day. Putting in her best to make sure the residents are safe and happy as well.

  • Vincent Oringamje

    Care Assistant
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    Vincent OringamjeCare Assistant

    Vincent joined the Valerian Court Care Home team in August 2024. He has previous experience working in domiciliary care but enjoys working in the care home environment. Vincent has a big smile and is dedicated to providing the highest quality of life to all of our residents.

  • Yedu Sasikumar

    Care Assistant
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    Yedu SasikumarCare Assistant

    Yedu has previous experience working in care homes and is committed to providing the highest quality of care to our residents

  • Susan Lynch

    Care Assistant
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    Susan LynchCare Assistant

    Susan has a passion and commitment for caring for individuals and always goes out of her way to make others happy and feel better.

  • Vicky Munday

    Activities Lead
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    Vicky MundayActivities Lead

    Vicky has joined as our new Activities Lead. She has 4 years experience of leading activities in other care homes and is looking forward to implementing a busy diary of events, including music therapy, crafting, baking and days out.

  • Bess Sanders

    Activities Co-Ordinator
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    Bess SandersActivities Co-Ordinator

    Bess joined our team as activities co-Ordinator; she loves to get residents involved in Arts & Crafts and Baking. She greets the residents with a smiley face and gets them excited for the day!

  • Oleksandra Yablonska

    Second Chef
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    Oleksandra YablonskaSecond Chef

    Oleksandra is originally from Skadovsk, Ukraine and has extensive experience working as a chef before joining our team in November 2023 as our second chef.

  • Jurgita Tauciute-Staugiene

    Kitchen Assistant
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    Jurgita Tauciute-StaugieneKitchen Assistant

    Jurgita has previous experience of working in kitchens and has previously worked at restaurants in Oxford.  She shows great attention to detail and is an excellent addition to our kitchen team.

  • Viktoria Rigler-Pikhely

    Kitchen Assistant
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    Viktoria Rigler-PikhelyKitchen Assistant

    With her valuable experience in the hospitality industry, Viktoria has seamlessly integrated into our kitchen crew and has been a fantastic addition, rounding out our team perfectly.

  • Sorin Tiron

    Maintenance Manager
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    Sorin TironMaintenance Manager

    Sorin brings years of experience to our team, not only by carrying out day-to-day maintenance tasks but also meeting and getting to know our residents and caring for their safety and wellbeing.

  • Kels Robertson

    Head Housekeeper
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    Kels RobertsonHead Housekeeper

    Kelly joined the team in June 2025, bringing with her a massive experience in cleaning. Kelly is very passionate about excellence in cleaning and she’s looking forward to leading a team that provides an immaculate environment for our residents.

  • Linda Connolly

    Housekeeping Assistant
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    Linda ConnollyHousekeeping Assistant

    Linda has previous experience of working in care homes and has worked as both a carer and a housekeeper. She has previously looked after people with learning disabilities and dementia and strives to ensure Valerian Court is an immaculate environment for all of our residents

  • Eliza Jacob

    Receptionist
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    Eliza JacobReceptionist

    Eliza has 20 years of experience working in various roles within the NHS and most recently as a GP receptionist. Eliza is a kind and caring person who enjoys talking and listening to the older generations’ life stories and is looking forward to bringing a smile to the residents’ next chapter in life.

  • Freya Selwood

    Receptionist
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    Freya SelwoodReceptionist

    Freya takes pride in being the first to greet everybody who comes through our doors with a smiling face. Being surrounded by all of our lovely staff and residents makes her day.

  • Kelly Roberts

    Hairdresser
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    Kelly RobertsHairdresser

    Kelly is a fully qualified hairdresser having worked in the hair industry for over 15 years. Kelly loves her job and the uplift it provides whether it be a trim, blow dry or something new. Kelly cannot wait to meet all the residents and to provide a pampering service.