Oversight and Development
Responsible for all things brain injury at Voyage Care, these individuals ensure you receive the highest-quality support to meet your needs. They source new properties, so more people can benefit from our life-changing care and develop rehabilitation pathways, including managing the teams that deliver them.
Michael Chawatama
BIR Director
Alan Marshall
Development Director
Alan is a qualified nurse who has worked in the health and social care sector for over 30 years. He has significant experience in service redesign and innovation, delivering new provision models and services to clients across the UK.
Alan originally joined Voyage Care as a Managing Director. In November 2022, he transitioned into the role of Development Director for Brain Injury services – a new role focused on the development and growth of our Brain Injury Rehabilitation program.
Vicki Bennett
Operations Director
Vicki has worked in the health and social care sector since 2009. She has spent most of her career working within brain injury rehabilitation and mental health services, but has also gained essential experience in various other rehabilitation pathways.
Vicki has also previously worked in Forensic Mental Health services for the NHS. Alongside her rich professional career, Vicki has achieved a level 5 diploma in Leadership and Management and has recently completed her degree in Chartered Management.
Placement Managers
The Placement Managers are your direct point of contact throughout your brain injury journey. They’ll be there for you from initial referral, during assessments and everything in between – right until the start of your support.
Louise Houghton
Placement Manager
Louise has worked in brain injury rehab services since 2005. She started her career as a Support Worker, progressing to Team Leader and then onto Deputy Manager.
Louise is now a Placement Manager at one of our brain injury services in the West Midlands. Since 2013, Louise has led client referrals and admissions for our brain injury services throughout the UK and is actively involved in new site developments.
David Bruin
Placement Manager
David has worked in the health and social care sector since 2008. During his career, he has gained a wealth of experience working within Local Authorities and the NHS. He joined Voyage Care in 2019 as Service Manager for our nurse-led care provision, and was awarded Branch Manager of the Year at the Voyage Excellence Awards in 2021.
David joined our brain injury team in 2023 as Placement Manager, supporting with new client referrals and admissions for brain injury services. Alongside his varied career and vocational achievements, David has a Diploma Level 5 in Leadership and Management.
Operations Managers
During your journey with us, you may meet our experienced Operations Managers. They oversee our brain injury services regionally and are responsible for the managing your ongoing rehab, ensuring it is safe, effective and relevant.
Kim Kaulder
Operations Manager
Kim is an Operations Manager for our brain injury rehabilitation services. She has experience within a range of care settings, including adult social care. Kim has gained a wealth of experience in implementing new services within customer focused and adult care provisions. She has also led transformation projects, incorporating the ‘Lean Thinking’ method.
Kim’s experience is invaluable to her role and has helped us to improve the quality of support offered within our services. Kim has also achieved a DMS in Leadership and Strategic Management and is an Advanced Lean Practitioner and Coach.
Leanne Denison
Operations Manager
Leanne has worked for Voyage Care since 2010. Starting her journey as a Support Worker at one of our brain injury services, she continued to develop her skills and knowledge, and became a Register Manager.
After four years in a service management position, she progressed to Regional Support Manager and, more recently, became Operations Manager for our Brain Injury Rehabilitation and ISS services. Alongside her accomplished career, Leanne has a level 5 diploma in Leadership and Management.
Carly Dempsey
Operations Manager
Carly has worked exclusively in brain injury rehabilitation since 2010, supporting people to reach their potential following an acquired brain injury. Carly joined Voyage Care in 2017 as a Registered Manager, before being promoted to Operations Manager in 2019.
In this role, she oversees our brain injury services in the Northwest of England. Carly is passionate about the growth of our brain injury provision and is currently studying towards an MBA.
Peter Kemp
Operations Manager
Peter began his career in care in 2010. With a keen interest in nursing, he started as a Health Care Assistant on a dedicated clinical nursing unit. After several years in this role, Peter joined Voyage Care as a Senior Support Worker in 2014.
Recently, Peter has transitioned to our brain injury rehabilitation team as an Operations Manager, bringing a wealth of vocational work experience to his new role. Peter was attracted to this area of the business as it reminds him of the fragility of life and the positive impact our support has for those with brain injuries.
Alongside his diverse career, Peter has many notable academic achievements, including a Lead Practitioner Diploma in Health and Social Care. He is due to start a master’s degree in 2024, with a hope to continue evolving within brain injury rehabilitation.
Nicolette Spear
Operations Manager
A passionate advocate for supporting others, Nicolette started working in the social care sector in 2010. Volunteering while still at school, she soon snapped up a full-time position after graduating. Taking a brief break from social care to work in a variety of business support capacities, it wasn’t long before she was eventually drawn back to the industry.
Since returning to the sector, Nicolette has completed a degree in Health and Social Care, and earned many coveted qualifications, including an accreditation in British Sign Language.
Nicolette joined Voyage Care in 2024 as a brain injury rehabilitation Operations Manager. Alongside her wealth of experience and portfolio of skills, Nicolette brings exceptional devotion and passion to this role. With a keen interest in quality assurance, she advocates for the people we support, ensuring their care and support promotes independence and empowers them to live incredible lives.
Clare Jackson
Clinical Nurse
Manager
Clare is one of our Clinical Nurse Managers for our brain injury rehabilitation services. In her role, she is responsible for assessing the clinical needs of the people we support, andproviding relevant clinical training to our brain injury support teams.
Clare qualified as an Adult Nurse at Teesside University and immediately joined the NHS, moving through specialist departments, gaining valuable experience in a variety of complex areas. Clare then moved on to private healthcare, progressing her career by working in a variety of Clinical Management roles.
Since joining Voyage Care, Clare has received extensive specialist training and cites our development programmes as pivotal to her professional and personal growth. She’s developed a wealth of new skills from tracheostomy care and ventilation, to using bespoke moving and assisting equipment. Seeing the people we support succeed makes her most proud to be part of our organisation though.
In the future, Clare’s aiming to go back to university to complete some further education and would eventually like to study towards a Master’s degree.
Lee Atkinson
Clinical Nurse
Manager
Lee has worked in the health and care sector for over 25 years. Starting his career as a Support Worker, he went on to study health care at university. Since qualifying in 2005 as an adult trained nurse, he has gained extensive experience in a variety of healthcare disciplines.
After providing community-based clinical support to both adults and paediatrics with complex needs, Lee found his true passion and took the step to move into the private sector.
Joining us as a Clinical Nurse Manager in 2023, Lee provides essential clinical assessments to the people we support, cascading down relevant training to our brain injury support teams. Passionate about continuous training and development, Lee enjoys educating others and using his experience to ensure the people we support live fulfilling lives with all their needs met.
Rachel Hughes
Regional Service
Manager
Rachel started her career in social care in 2013. She joined Voyage Care in 2015 as part of a nurse-led domiciliary care team. As she progressed in her role, she sought a new challenge and was naturally drawn to brain injury rehabilitation. She joined our brain injury rehabilitation team in 2018, managing the northeast outreach as a Field Care Supervisor.
Today, Rachel is the Regional Support Manager for brain injury services. Her multi-disciplinary role involves providing key support to our operations team and network of service managers, ensuring high-quality care is delivered to the people we support.
Therapy teams
Our therapy teams provide a range of traditional and cutting edge therapy sessions to support your rehabilitation. Whatever sessions you choose, your therapy team will encourage and motivate you to achieve positive outcomes that help you regain control over your life.
Kayley Sharp
Therapy Manager
Kayley joined Voyage Care in 2008 as a Bank Support Worker at one of our brain injury services, before progressing to the role of a Service Manager. During her time at Voyage Care, Kayley has been seconded to provide essential support across our brain injury services.
Kayley has since transitioned into the role of Therapy Manager and oversees the delivery and quality of their rehabilitation pathways, ensuring the wider team understand the importance of therapy and the impact it has on quality of life for the people we support.
Peter Riley
Therapy Lead
Peter is a dual-site Therapy Lead at our specialist brain injury services Carville Road and The Woodlands. He joined Voyage Care in 2018, beginning his journey as a Support Worker. After progressing to a Therapy Co-ordinator, Peter’s passion led him to becoming a dedicated Therapy Lead.
As a Therapy Lead, Peter loves seeing the people we support transform along their journey’s. He sees them progress physically and emotionally to achieve incredible outcomes. His role involves working closely with our portfolio of therapy professionals and clinicians to ensure support teams can deliver therapies to the people we support, helping them engage in specialist training modules, continuously developing their knowledge and providing the best support.
Peter also likes developing his own knowledge and has completed courses in Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language and Advanced Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
Rhiannon Woodham
Therapy Lead
Rhiannon is a dual-site Therapy Lead at our specialist brain injury services 46 London Road and Theoc House. Her journey with Voyage Care began in 2019 where she joined as a Support Worker before progressing to Senior Support Worker and, most recently, a Therapy Lead.
As part of her role, she plays a big part of the rehabilitation journey of the people we support and is proud of the support she offers throughout. She is passionate about collaborating with therapists and clinicians to offer excellent care and support, while continuing to develop her knowledge.
Her favourite part of her role is seeing the people we support progress along their individual journeys, building meaningful relationships and living fulfilling lives. Rhiannon feels very strongly about supporting people with rehabilitation and hopes to become a therapist in the future!
Sarah Burns
Therapy Lead
Sarah is the dedicated Therapy Lead at Devonshire House, our specialist brain injury rehabilitation service in Manchester. Sarah joined Voyage Care in 2021. Starting as a Support Worker, she has since progressed to Senior Support Worker, Therapy Coordinator and is now a Therapy Lead.
Enthusiastic about professional development, Sarah completed a BSC in Psychology and has received her master’s degree in psychology of Coercive Control, alongside a wealth of experience in the Health and Social care sector.
Sarah is passionate about person-centred support and recognises this approach as key in maximising people’s rehabilitation potential. As a Therapy Lead, Sarah is instrumental in supporting people to set and achieve goals. Her favourite part of this role is working with inspirational people and helping them to exceed their own expectations!
Louise Reader
Therapy Lead
Louise Reader has worked in the adult social care sector since 2011, primarily in domiciliary care and mental health with a focus on dementia. Starting as a Support Worker, she progressed to a Senior and eventually became a Care Manager after gaining qualifications through ongoing training.
Now, Louise is an experienced brain injury Therapy Lead, a role she has had since 2022 and thoroughly enjoys. She is passionate about her role in helping the people she supports regain skills and grow their confidence, finding it both heartwarming and rewarding. Alongside her primary responsibilities, Louise enjoys completing additional training courses and is excited to continue learning and developing in her career.
Alyssa Hancock
Therapy Lead
Alyssa started her career with Voyage Care as a Support Worker in 2020, before progressing to Therapy Lead following completion of specialist training courses.
She is currently the dedicated Therapy Lead at Maeres House, our specialist brain injury rehabilitation service in Cheshire. Her role focuses on providing therapy and rehabilitation that improves the cognitive and emotional skills of the people we support to help them work towards independent living.
Alyssa is passionate about being positive and approachable in her role and enjoys interacting with the people we support. Seeing them achieve their goals and grow their independence with the help of therapy is extremely rewarding for Alyssa.
Lesley Moore
Therapy Lead
Lesley is the Therapy Lead at Lorenzo Drive, our specialist brain injury rehabilitation service in Merseyside. She started her Voyage Care career as a Support Worker in 2018 and has since progressed through the ranks from Therapy Coordinator to her current role as Therapy Lead.
Keen on continuous development, Lesley has completed a Level 3 diploma in Health and Social Care alongside further courses in Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech and Language Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Lesley is passionate about making a difference. Her favourite thing about her role is empowering the people we support to accomplish their goals, no matter how big or small.
Rachel Hunt
Therapy Lead
Rachel began her career at Voyage Care as a Support Worker in 2020. Before joining our team, Rachel was a student and an at-home carer, which sparked her love for the social care sector.
Rachel is now our dedicated Therapy Lead at our brain injury rehabilitation care home, John Cabot House. She is passionate about helping the people we support succeed in their rehabilitation, becoming as independent as possible. A key part of her role is empowering the people we support to engage in community-based activities, promoting independence and supporting them to rebuild their social skills.
As a Therapy Lead, Rachel is responsible for setting and monitoring skill-based goals for the people we support, collaborating with external therapists and building meaningful relationships with the people we support to help them achieve these goals. She often gets involved with therapy sessions and completes monthly goal reviews. By regularly monitoring the progress of each person, she ensures they are receiving the right therapies to help them achieve the goals they’ve set.
Sarah Leahy
Therapy Lead
Sarah joined Voyage Care in February 2022 as a Support Worker at Markham House. In April 2023, she progressed to a Therapy Lead to take on a new challenge. In her new role, Sarah meets the people we support at their initial placement assessment, which is important for the individuals to get to know her and to feel comfortable. Sarah is also part of transition visits, allowing her to offer continuous support to the people we support. She likes to get to know the residents to make sure they are happy in their placement. Currently, Sarah is studying on several courses covering the different types of therapy offered at Markham House. These courses will enable her to progress onto a Level 4 Lead Practitioner diploma.
Sarah is passionate about seeing individuals succeed and helping them reach their goals – no matter how big or small! Walking to the shop independently, holding their own spoon, or saying a new word are all events that Sarah is proud to be part of. She enjoys seeing the people we support enjoy their lives again after experiencing such a significant change.
Victoria Hammonds
Therapy Lead
Victoria is Therapy Lead at our brain injury rehabilitation care home, 235 Rugeley Road, in Staffordshire. Fresh out of university, Victoria joined us as a Support Worker in 2022. Having completed an undergraduate degree in Health and Social Care, Victoria is incredibly passionate about helping the people we support meet their full potential and regain their independence.
As a Therapy Lead, Victoria works closely with the people we support and our external therapy professionals, ensuring each person is on track to meet the goals they set with her support. Ensuring each person receives tailored support, Victoria works collaboratively with different therapists to develop person-centred therapy techniques, so they can confidently meet their goals.
Anouska Thornton
Therapy Lead
Anouska is a dedicated team member at our brain injury rehabilitation service, Summerfield Court in Leeds. Since joining in 2016, she’s worked as a Support Worker, Senior Activity Co-Ordinator, and is currently a Therapy Lead.
Anouska’s passion is sharing the importance of therapies at Summerfield Court, helping the people we support to not just improve their quality of life but to also thrive. She is currently completing courses in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech and Language and Occupational Therapy, with plans to further expand her knowledge in the future.
Kyle Fenwick
Therapy Lead
Kyle joined Voyage Care in 2019 as a Bank Support Worker at Glasshouse Hill while completing his psychology degree at the University of Derby. After graduating, he became a Therapy Coordinator, providing high-quality care to help individuals achieve their rehabilitation goals.
Currently, Kyle is a Therapy Lead for two Voyage Care BIR services, Glasshouse Hill in Derbyshire and Willowbrook in Leicester. His focus is supporting individuals to overcome barriers and achieve independence, a passion that has seen him further his career by completing his master’s degree
Prior to Voyage Care, Kyle volunteered at organisations such as Mencap, Tamworth Youth Centre and Burton Schools Support Unit.
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