You have to be special to work at Choice. Our organisation attracts outstanding people who share an abiding commitment to those we support. As a result, our colleagues are naturally caring and compassionate, friendly and warm-hearted. Extraordinary people, consistently willing to go the extra mile for everyone in their care.
"I love how rewarding it feels to make a real difference to other people's lives. I've spent 20 years working in social care; it's the only job I will ever want to do."
Supportive and positive relationships
At Choice we care for a wide range of individuals, many of whom face highly complex challenges. Whatever those challenges, our teams pride themselves on providing the best possible care and support.
That means getting to know people properly, understanding their likes and dislikes, and setting individual goals. Our colleagues build strong relationships with those they care for, developing lasting friendships along the way.
All our services are managed and run by highly-experienced, exceptionally motivated people, dedicated to the needs of those in their care. Care teams are led by accomplished registered managers, recognised as second to none in the sector, supported by fully-trained social care workers, providing up to 24-hour support.
Going the extra mile
Speak to anyone in our services and they'll start telling stories: examples of when colleagues went above and beyond - to arrange a visit with relative, or attend an activity, or support other staff members in their roles. They'll shrug off the praise, claiming it was nothing special, but the one thing they'll agree on is this is more than just a job.
Sector leading training and development
Effective training is critical to delivering best-in-class care. So we provide a wide range of industry-leading learning and development programmes for all our staff on an ongoing basis, combining mandatory courses with specialist training specific to the individual needs of those in their care.
We're committed to supporting all our colleagues in achieving their full potential. The Choice Care Academy offers a pathway from frontline skills to management to help everyone in our team develop and progress.
Careers at Choice Care
Thinking of starting a career in care, or ready to take new responsibilities? Search our current vacancies and apply online today.
Find out moreMeet our senior team
We are a responsibly managed organisation with a strong commercial record and professional reputation. Our senior management team have an average length of service of 13 years.
Valerie Michie
Chief Executive
I was pleased to join Choice as CEO in 2020.
There has never been a better time to recognise the skills of our colleagues in providing services that enable people to have great lives. I am proud to support the ongoing development of our services as we continue to learn from the people we support, our colleagues, and the communities we work in.
I have over twenty years' experience in people driven businesses and I am Chair and Trustee of The Listening Place, a charity that provides face-to-face support for those who feel life is no longer worth living.
Samantha Bond
Chief Commercial Officer
Having worked in the Health and Social Care sector for 15 years, I know what a difference great people can make when genuine care and support is delivered with compassion and kindness. Since I joined Choice in September 2022, I have been continuously impressed with everyone I meet across our services and I am delighted to play a part in supporting all our Homes. My passion is to enable our services to grow, working collaboratively with colleagues, commissioners, families and those we support, so we can help more people lead great lives.
I am lucky to live in a small village in West Dorset and you can usually find me in the garden, trying to stop my chickens eating the vegetables, or on the beach, braving a swim whenever the days are just about warm enough!
Fun fact: I have a ‘dinosaur’ hanging on my wall – my husband and I found the fossilised remains of an Ichthyosaur, an impressive 2 meter long reptile, with sharp teeth, who lived in the sea in Dorset 180 million years ago. After many hours of preparation, he now watches over us when we watch TV!
Martin Prescott
Director of Quality
I started working as a Support Worker with people with learning disabilities in 1991 for a small care organisation that was acquired by the Choice Care Group in 1992.
I soon realised that I really enjoyed supporting the people in the service and wanted to make this my career. With many opportunities to develop, I progressed into more senior roles. As the organisation grew, I had the opportunity to open a new home, White House in Datchet, which I went on to manage for several years. I enjoyed being a Home Manager, working closely with my team to provide excellent outcomes for the people we supported, giving staff opportunities to develop their own careers as well as gaining valuable experience myself.
In 2006, I joined the Operations team, overseeing a number of services across the group, and developing health and safety and quality systems for the organisation.
In 2016, I became Director of Quality and set up the Quality Team. This is a very interesting and rewarding role as I have a passion for supporting our services to provide high quality, person-centred care and developing quality systems. I enjoy being part of an organisation that shares my values and puts the people we support at the centre of everything we do.
Frances Love
Regional Director, East & South
I started working in care in 1980 and trained as a Registered Learning Disability Nurse. After qualifying, I worked in a number of different settings, in hospitals and community treatment units.
In 1989 I travelled overseas and lived in New Zealand and then Australia for 16 years where I continued working with people with disabilities, which was quite a different experience.
I joined Choice Care in 2006 as a Registered Manager to open Fritham Lodge, then our newest mental health service, and I've never looked back. In 2007 joined the Operations team and have helped contribute to the growth of the organisation ever since. I really love working for the company and thoroughly enjoy my role. The best part of the job is seeing someone who was finding life hard flourish through the support we provide. I have a great team to support the services and I believe we do all we can to help people progress and enjoy their lives to the full.
Mark Luce
Regional Director, West
I started working for Choice Care in 2001 as a Support Worker at one of our Residential Services in Gloucester.
This was my first care job and I immediately fell in love with the role and working in care. I stayed at Stroud Lodge for several years, becoming a Team Leader, Deputy and eventually the Registered Home Manager.
After several years managing the home and gaining experience of managing other homes in the area, I had the opportunity to join the Operations team, initially overseeing services in Gloucestershire. I have been given great training opportunities while working for the company, such as completing my CIPD Human Resource Management qualification, and now have a real interest in employment law.
I am currently the Regional Director for the West region, overseeing services from the West Midlands to Salisbury and in between. I love working for Choice and I'm proud of the service we provide for all the amazing people we support.
