Gardener

**Gardener (full time)**

Based at Rowan Lodge, Crown Lane, Newnham, Basingstoke, RG27 9AN - a care home with a CQC rating of “good” in all five areas. These accolades are only achieved through the teamwork of like-minded individuals passionate about delivering person-centered care. Our Care/Nursing staff to resident ratio is higher than the national average and nearly 50% of our team have been with us for over 5 years.

**Top 20 Small Care Home Group 2022**

**9.9 Review Score on carehome.co.uk**

Competitive salary depending on experience. Full time required. Minimum 2 years’ experience in a similar role.

As well as a competitive hourly rate, we offer the following benefits;
- 28 days Holiday (for full time workers)
- Enhanced pay for Bank Holidays
- Comprehensive induction training
- Ongoing training and development
- Auto-enrolment Pension Scheme
- NVQ Training
- Refer a Friend Scheme
- Paid breaks
- Free Uniform
- Employee Assistance Programme 24/7 covering a full range of issues. Includes perks and discounts too
- Blue Light Staff Discount Card, Employee of the Month, Appreciation weeks and many more

**Forest Care**

Forest Care is a family owned and managed company, currently with four care homes in Hampshire and Surrey. Our focus is to ensure we provide the highest standards of care to our residents, and their ongoing welfare, comfort and needs are central to how we run our homes. We want our homes to be a home in the truest sense, and we are committed to making our residents feel at home from the outset.

**Main Duties of our Gardeners;**

**Grounds Maintenance: -**
- Sweep roads, paths and patio/terrace & car park areas to keep free of litter, debris and leaves, etc.
- Cleaning of gullies and gutters and down pipes as much as possible (with handyman’s assistance as necessary)
- Keep flat roof areas, smoking areas, bin stores and the like clean and disinfected, including occasional cleaning of the bins themselves inside and out as required
- Keep external signage and exterior lighting clean and in proper working order and ensure external signs are visible at all times, particularly in winter.
- Keep area of verge to road between two homes clear of leaves, mown regularly and well-presented
- Clean down retaining wall/s and railings and keep well presented, including painting as necessary. Creosote/paint bin store/s and other fencing/decking at least bi-annually, and ideally annually.
- Tidy out beds and keep well-presented and maintained, particularly at front entrances.

**Gardening: -**
- Maintain lawns to a high standard including any seasonal treatments. Ensure lawns are kept nicely mown to maintain a “wow factor”, particularly with the approach to the Care Home, but also in rear garden areas for the enjoyment of residents and visitors
- Maintain retaining wall/s and structures, including trimming and weeding of overhanging plants. Large area beyond retaining wall at the Care Home to be better kept/presented with possibly some additional planting/improvements over time.
- Keep the ramp/path at the rear of the Care Home well-presented generally and clear of weeds. Pressure-wash occasionally to prevent becoming slippery
- Maintain/trim/cut back the plants and self-seeded trees to the rear of the Care Home to help create a lighter, airier feel and to give some of the rear-facing rooms a nicer and lighter outlook.
- Introduce more seasonal planting and introduce/maintain more year-round colour, particularly to the main entrance areas and driveways.
- Install and maintain more hanging baskets and colourful beds to the immediate frontage and rear of each home, and to the side area around the kitchen windows /back door at the Care Home. These areas are what people see when they visit so have to be maintained to present the homes to their best at all times.
- Aim to put ourselves forward for the “Surrey Heath in Bloom” awards by way of promoting the homes and creating a landscape that is uplifting for residents, relatives, visitors and staff.
- Better use of the raised beds with planting of flowers and vegetables etc. and involving the residents where possible as part of the wider activities programme.
- Liaise with homes to keep a diary of “special events” where something can be created/used from the garden, e.g., pot plants or flowers grown from seed which could be given out at Easter or Mother’s Day, Christmas wreaths, etc. and involving residents where possible as part of the wider activities programme.

While it is no longer a requirement that people we employ are vaccinated against Covid-19, we still strongly believe that vaccination remains the best line of defence and we therefore continue to encourage all current and prospective staff to be fully vaccinated.

RLGARD

**Job Types**: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £30,000.00-£32,000.00 per year

**Benefits**:

- Company events
- Company pension
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
- Referral prog