Nurse turned care home manager Susie Green shares her memories of life as a care home manager in A Most Precious Gift

“I wanted to give people a little peep at what happens through the front door of a care home” says Susie Green of her new book A Most Precious Gift.

Susie invites us to walk through the doors of a care home with her as our guide, as the care home manager, home to the elderly, vulnerable adults and for many their final home.

Share some of the tales she tells of horror and heartbreak but also many that will make you laugh and smile alongside many you will find unbelievable. Pigeons, relatives, a ‘lady of the night’ turned carer, incontinence pads and emotional farewells all form part of daily life in a care home.

Susie started her nurse training in 1978, qualifying in the early 1980s. She has worked on general wards, as a GP nurse and a school nurse. She spent the last six years of her career as a care home manager, turning struggling homes around.

 “I knew I had stories and tales that happened in my time as a care home manager that just had to be written down,” she explains. “Nursing is a career that is so hard to walk away from, I missed it terribly and felt guilty for ending my career so I thought it would help to write my tale.

“My inspiration came from the care home staff, service users, families, owners and multi-disciplinary teams and social services I worked with. Some characters I will never forget.

“I wanted people to understand the life and responsibilities in the role of a registered care home manager. I wanted to give people a little peep at what happens through the front door of a care home.”

A Most Precious Gift is a token of thanks to all staff who work in care homes and for those who showed their commitment and empathy working through the Covid pandemic.

She adds: “This little book will touch hearts and give an understanding of what it means to work in care homes, the people we meet and those we care for, and those we work with.”

Susie lives in a 17th century cottage in Oxfordshire with her husband, two whippets Albert and Annabelle and a very large British Shorthair cat called Eric and as she says in the author’s note for her book: “You will smile, be touched, be horrified and perhaps shed some tears.”