Our kind and compassionate team

Tim Buckley

Managing Director – South East

Previously trained and operated in international tourism, Tim joined health and social care in 2009 with a passion, understanding and commitment to make each day special. Since then, Tim’s career has spanned personal care (including night shifts) to Chief Operating Officer across 28 residential, dementia and nursing care homes. Teamwork and leadership, underpinned with wholesome values creates a culture of excellence for resident, families, friends, team members and the wider community alike.

When Tim’s not spending time with our residents, families and team, you can find him with his family. Based in Hampshire, Tim is passionate about anything on or in the water, often sailing his boat or seeking adventure travelling, skiing and generally loving life.

Em Dean

Managing Director – South West

Em is a dedicated nursing professional who embarked on her care journey in 1997, always delivering compassionate quality care in various management and senior management roles across the healthcare sector. Em’s true passion lies in championing quality care within safe, nurturing environments, where residents can truly thrive and live fulfilled lives. Her commitment to ensuring the well-being of those under her care is unwavering. Em’s wealth of experience has equipped her with the knowledge and insight to drive positive change, exemplifying this with her unique caring and enthusiastic approach, setting excellent standards for residents, families and the wider team.

Em loves to spend time with her family, walking her dogs and enjoys cooking. Em has also worked as a community first responder and is a volunteer responder for the NHS.

Maria Taylor

Managing Director – Midlands

With over 20 years of experience in the health and social care industry, Maria has worked her way up from a care assistant to Managing Director.
She is passionate about supporting older people and enhancing their quality of life within luxurious and comfortable environments. Committed to fostering an open and honest culture, Maria ensures that the best care and support is provided to all of our residents. She is also a strong advocate for staff development, and works tirelessly to support and develop teams to deliver exceptional care.
Outside of work, Maria is a proud mother and grandmother. She enjoys running, often fundraising for local charities and loves walking with her dog.

Liz Walker

Managing Director – North

Liz qualified as a nurse in 1987 and has dedicated her career to healthcare ever since. With experience across a variety of settings, including the NHS, domiciliary care, care homes, and running her own nursing and care agency, Liz has developed a comprehensive understanding of the sector. In the last 10 years, she has held senior management roles, including Director of Operations in care homes.

Passionate about delivering high-quality, meaningful care, Liz is driven by a commitment to help residents live their best lives. Known for her calm demeanor, visibility to her teams, and leadership by example, Liz fosters a supportive environment for both residents and staff.

Outside of work, Liz is a proud mum and grandma to two young children, enjoying quality time with her family and friends.

Dan Bright

Care & Quality Director – South West

Dan is an experienced and highly dedicated carer who has worked in the health and social care sector in some capacity since the age of 18.

He has significant experience caring for those living with dementia and those with complex physical, social and emotional needs. Very much a hands-on carer Dan believes in championing holistic and high-quality care in all that he does.

Dan is responsible for maintaining the highest standards of care throughout our homes. This is achieved through close monitoring of our care systems to ensure that we exceed all expectations and continue to meet the exacting standards required to provide an outstanding level of care.

Rebecca Watkins

Care & Quality Director – South East

With a career spanning more than 20 years in adult social care, and leadership foundations built during her service in the British Army, Rebecca brings a wealth of operational, quality and compliance expertise to her role as Care Quality Director.

Beginning her career in a nursing home, Rebecca gained hands-on experience across a wide range of roles, including housekeeping, catering and administration, giving her a deep appreciation of how every team member contributes to delivering outstanding care. She later moved into domiciliary care, progressing from frontline care worker to Director of Operations and Compliance, building extensive experience in governance, workforce development, quality assurance and regulatory compliance.

One of the defining moments of Rebecca’s career came in 2016, when she led the transformation of a 153-bed, multi-site care home that had been rated Inadequate by the Care Quality Commission. Working alongside a dedicated team, she successfully improved the service to a Good CQC rating on three separate occasions, demonstrating her commitment to strong leadership, collaboration and continuous improvement.

Today, Rebecca works closely with homes across Crystal Care Collection to support the delivery of safe, effective and compassionate care. She is passionate about developing high-performing teams, maintaining exceptional standards and creating positive outcomes for residents, families and colleagues.

Outside of work, Rebecca has a lifelong passion for animal welfare and dog rescue. Having cared for rescued Huskies over the years, she enjoys spending time with her remaining husky, whose loyalty and resilience continue to reflect the values she brings to both her personal and professional life.

Jo Fitzpatrick

Care & Quality Director – North

Jo is an accomplished Registered General Nurse with over 35 years of experience across the health and social care sectors. She is a strategic, values-driven leader with extensive expertise in quality improvement, regulatory compliance, clinical governance, and organisational leadership. Passionate about delivering safe, effective, and person-centred care, Jo is committed to fostering a culture of continuous improvement, excellence, and accountability.

Combining extensive clinical expertise with strategic leadership, Jo excels at managing risk, improving service quality, and delivering measurable organisational outcomes. She is recognised for her collaborative approach, strong governance expertise, and unwavering commitment to achieving the highest standards of care.

Outside of work, Jo is married and the proud mother of two teenage boys. She enjoys spending time outdoors, particularly on or around the water, and is an enthusiastic paddle boarder who values the balance that an active lifestyle brings to both her personal and professional life.

Tara Penn

Care & Quality Director – Midlands

Tara is a Registered Nurse with over 25 years of experience across the health and social care sectors. As Care Quality Director for the Midlands, Tara brings an exceptional depth of regulatory and operational expertise to the region, having previously held key senior regulatory appointments including Nominated Individual (NI) for the CQC, Registered Manager for the CQC, and Responsible Individual (RI) with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW).

At the heart of Tara’s leadership philosophy is an unwavering commitment to people. Agile and dedicated to supporting, nurturing, and empowering others Tara strongly believes that outstanding care begins with a well-supported workforce and a clear vision. Tara is passionate about supporting care teams, mentoring emerging leaders, and fostering a collaborative, compassionate culture where staff feel valued, confident, and equipped to deliver high-quality, person-led care.

Combining clinical excellence with strategic oversight, Tara drives quality improvement daily embedding robust compliance, and establishing strong governance frameworks that put safety and dignity first. Demonstrating a lifelong commitment to professional development and continuous learning, to further strengthen strategic drive and organisational excellence across the region.

Outside of work, Tara finds balance by spending time outdoors in the garden, cooking and enjoying time with her dog. Dedicated to self-improvement both personally and professionally, Tara brings the same energy and enthusiasm to lifelong learning as she does to her role in supporting others.

Bev Abraham

Regional Director – North

Bev started her career as a carer and has 45 years of experience in the industry. She is passionate about fostering strong relationships to ensure dignity, happiness, and fulfilment for residents, especially the vulnerable.

She is a strong believer in the power of ongoing development for herself and her teams. Through her career she has earned a Business Management & Leadership degree, a Teaching Degree, and she is an Associate member of CIPD.

Outside of work she is happily married and has a daughter, and 2 grandchildren who are very important to her.

Virgil Frincu

Regional Director – South West

Virgil is a dedicated health and social care professional with more than 13 years of experience, including over 10 years in the UK. He began his career as a paramedic and later became a qualified nurse, also studied management in health and social care. Known for fostering trust-based relationships with residents, families, and colleagues, Virgil is passionate about delivering kind and compassionate care; he has successfully led diverse teams to achieve high standards of care and compliance, driving continuous improvement and positive outcomes across multiple services.

Outside of work, Virgil is an enthusiastic motorcyclist and avid traveller. In recent years, he has taken up watercraft activities, embracing a more adventurous side. His growing interest in psychology and counselling has inspired him to enrol in a three-year course, further enhancing his ability to support and connect with others.

Sarah Hedges

Regional Director – South West

Jade Mainwaring

Regional Director – South West

With over 20 years’ experience in health and social care, Jade is a passionate and experienced senior leader who has built her career around one simple principle: people deserve to feel safe, valued and cared for.

Jade has a wealth of knowledge in leadership. She is passionate about creating positive environments where residents can thrive and where teams feel supported, motivated, and proud of the care they provide. Her career has taken her from hands-on care roles through to senior management, giving her a genuine understanding of every level of the care journey. A key strength of her leadership approach is the ability to build high-performing teams that work collaboratively, embrace continuous improvement, and consistently deliver positive outcomes for residents and their families.

Jade holds an ILM Level 7 Diploma in Senior Leadership, alongside qualifications in Adult Management and Health & Social Care and is committed to continually developing both herself and the services she leads.

Away from work, Jade appreciates family time. She loves travelling, discovering new places and, when she has the time, cooking and bringing family and friends together over good food. Family, people and making a positive difference are at the heart of who she is — both professionally and personally.

Bart Kulczycki

Regional Director – South East

Bart started working as care assistant in a care home for people with dementia aged 17. He fell in love with it from the first moment and has spent the subsequent 22 years working across both the public and independent sector.

During his career Bart has worked in senior leadership positions for some of the largest providers in the UK, working in both operational and quality roles. Bart has a master’s degree in resocialisation of convicts, social work, and clinical psychology. Bart’s experience spans psychiatric and forensic services, substance use disorders, learning disabilities, brain injury rehabilitation, nursing, and residential care.

In his spare time Bart is a motorcycle enthusiast, he loves spending time with his wife, two children, two dogs and his favourite place to visit is the forest.

Bianca Wilson

Regional Director – South East

With more than 22 years of experience in health and social care, Bianca brings a wealth of leadership, knowledge and passion to her role as Regional Director for the South East. Having worked across a wide range of nursing and residential care settings, she has built a strong understanding of what it takes to deliver outstanding care while supporting teams to thrive.

Bianca is committed to creating welcoming, person-centred homes where residents feel valued, respected and supported to live fulfilling lives. She believes exceptional care comes from empowered teams, strong relationships and a culture where everyone is encouraged to be their best.

Holding an NVQ Level 5 in Leadership and Management alongside a Foundation Degree in Law, Bianca combines operational expertise with a thorough understanding of the regulatory and legal standards that underpin high-quality care.

Outside of work, Bianca enjoys spending time in her garden, baking for family and friends, and making the most of quality time with her loved ones.

Rory Stokes

Regional Director – South East

Rory began his career in care in 2010, working directly with people as a care assistant. Since then, he has progressed through a variety of roles within the sector, giving him first-hand experience of the challenges and opportunities faced by teams at every level.

Today, as Regional Director, he draws on that experience to support services, managers and their teams to deliver high-quality care.

Throughout his career, Rory has developed a particular interest in dementia and end-of-life care. He is passionate about ensuring people receive compassionate, person-centred support and believes that great care starts with well-supported, confident teams.

Rory takes a hands-on approach to leadership and enjoys working alongside managers and colleagues, providing practical support and helping teams develop and succeed. He has also completed numerous qualifications in health and social care and business management, complementing the practical experience gained throughout his career.

Outside of work, Rory enjoys spending time with his wife, two children and two dogs. Much of his spare time is spent on the football pitch, where he coaches his daughter’s team.