Our Team
The people behind Horizons Homecare
From co-founders to care assistants, every person at Horizons shares the same commitment: dependable, person-centred care across Blackpool, the Fylde Coast and Lancaster.
A team you'll genuinely get to know
Horizons is built around small, consistent care teams. The person supporting you on a Monday is almost always the same person you'll see on a Thursday, because familiar faces are how trust, comfort, and safer care are built at home.
Our co-founders and branch managers are hands-on. Our coordinators know every client by name. Our carers are employed, trained in-house, and given the time each visit deserves. This page is the full team behind that promise.
Directly employed
Every carer is employed directly by Horizons, never placed through an agency. That means consistent people, proper training, and someone who genuinely knows your routine.
60+ care assistants
Blackpool, Fylde Coast, Wyre, Lancaster & Morecambe Bay
Leadership
Our co-founders lead the service day to day, from policy and training to recruitment and client reviews.
Russell
Co-founder & CEO
James
Co-founder & COO
Branch managers
A registered manager for each branch, responsible for care quality, carer supervision and family communication.
Lisa Garrad
Registered Manager — Blackpool
Tracey Redwood
Registered Manager — Lancaster
Office & coordination
Your first point of contact — coordinating rotas, scheduling visits and keeping families informed.
Melanie Forsyth
Client Care
Shereen McChrystal
Admin & Scheduler
Recruitment & training
Responsible for finding the right carers and making sure every new starter is ready before they step into a client's home.
Amelia Bennett
Recruitment & Training
Admin & Scheduler
Lancaster Branch
Our care assistants
Over 60 carers. Expertly trained. Locally based.
Horizons Homecare currently employs over 60 care assistants across Blackpool, Fylde Coast, Wyre, Lancaster, and Morecambe Bay, all employed directly, never agency. Every carer is trained in-house, shadowed by a senior member of staff, and formally signed off as competent before working alone.
How we recruit
- 01
In-depth interview
Every applicant is assessed on skills, values, and character, not just experience. We assess skills, as well as character via a unique values based interview set of questions.
- 02
Enhanced DBS & barred list check
A fully enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check plus a check against the Adults Barred List before any offer is confirmed.
- 03
One week in-house training
A full week of theory and practical training delivered in-house by our training officer, covering the Care Certificate and essential clinical skills.
- 04
Immersive VR training
All carers complete immersive virtual reality dementia training via the Alzheimer's Research UK programme, building real empathy and understanding.
- 05
Supervised shadowing
Shadowing alongside senior carers until they are confident & competent. Training Coordinators and Managers then continue to provide unannounced mentoring visits (UMVs) until they are fully signed off & competent to work alone. This standard then continues throughout their employment.
What every carer is trained in
Before a carer visits a single client they hold competency across all of the following. Training is refreshed throughout the year with monthly CPD sessions at both branches.
- Care Certificate, all 15 standards
- Safeguarding adults (Level 2)
- Medication Administration: Levels 1, 2 & 3
- Moving & Handling (Practical & Assessments)
- Infection prevention & control
- Comprehensive Dementia Training
- Mental Capacity Act & DoLS/LPS
- First aid & emergency response
- End-of-life care principles
- Equality, diversity & inclusion
- Dementia Friends (Alzheimer's Society)
- Monthly CPD sessions
Specialist & complex care
Where a client has complex needs — such as PEG feeding, catheter care, or specific neurological conditions — we arrange dedicated training for that client's care team before the first visit. In some cases we train our trainers to trainer level so specialist skills can be delivered in-house going forward.
Want to join the team?
We recruit carers who put people first. In return we offer real training, employed roles (not agency), small consistent client teams, and a coordinator who actually knows your name.