Meet the Team
Meet our local Plymouth & South Hams team
Emma and Alexander opened Bluebird Care Plymouth in 2011 with the aim of providing the highest quality of support for their customers by building a family of like minded Care Experts. Since these early days, the service has gone from strength to strength, incorporating a Live-in Care service and being awarded Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Meet the Team
Alexander Allan (Director)
Alexander is a retired Infantry Officer of the British Army where he served tours in both Bosnia and Afghanistan. Having left the army, he completed a Masters’ business degree and worked in London for a national energy company. Alexander has spent a lot of his spare time fundraising and organising events to raise money and awareness for the ‘British Limbless Ex Service Men’s Association’, BLESMA.
Alexander enjoys surfing on Bantham Beach and is an avid photographer and is also occasionally seen accompanying Emma on his 1965 BSA Bantam ‘Tom’ when the mood takes his bike.
Emma Allan (Director)
Emma originally hails from Ireland but after deciding to do a Master’s degree in business and the environment in London she first fell in love with a Boy and soon after with Devon. After various management positions she was excited at the prospect of trying to effect real change in the care industry. She wanted to improve how the sector was viewed, how people within the industry were valued and since 2012 her and Alexander (said Boy) have been trying to do just this, along with raising their three children.
Emma is passionate about providing the highest level of service to each customer and firmly believes in the importance of local working.
In her spare time Emma likes to take her 1955 BSA Bantam D1 ‘Peggy’ out on the road to explore the countryside. She loves walks on the beach with their two dogs and occasionally braves a surf although will more often than not be seen in the white wash close to the shore.
Deserie Atkins (Operations Manager)
Deserie joined Bluebird Care in 2017. She joined first as our Registered Manager for the Torbay office but took on the role of Operations Manager, covering Torbay, Plymouth and South Hams for the Domiciliary and Live-In service in 2020.
“I am very proud to be the operations manager of Bluebird Care Torbay, Plymouth and South Hams. I have supported the team to go from strength to strength. In 2019 we were awarded outstanding by the Care Quality Commission which was the best accolade that we could receive as a marker of both our success, and the quality of the support we provide to our customers”.
Deserie has worked in the health and social care field for over 30 years, both for local authority and the NHS. Deserie is a qualified Social Worker and was also an Allied Mental Health Professional working under the Mental Health Act. Deserie has managed Dementia care residential homes and resettlement units for people with dual diagnosis. While working for Torbay and South Devon NHS foundation trust Deserie chaired bay-wide multi agency Safeguarding meetings, best interest meetings and worked with people under Deprivation of liberty safeguards (DOLs).
Deserie has a thirst for travel and loves nothing more than heading off in her campervan with her husband and their 2 Bulgarian rescue dogs, Coco and Willow.
Dawn Hackett (Registered Manager)
Dawn joined the Bluebird Care team in 2019 but has worked in the Care Industry since 2006. She has progressively worked her way to the position of Registered Manager after completing her NVQ Level 5 Health and Social Care Qualification. The fact that she has worked as a care assistant and graduated from community to office within the same sector gives her an empathetic view throughout.
In her spare time, you will find Dawn across the South West, at cat shows, where she will be gaining Championship titles for her privileged felines or walking with her other animal love, her gorgeous springer spaniel Bailey. When she finally sits down, she loves a good book.
Carol Davis (Live-in Care Service Manager)
Carol Joined our Bluebird Care team as a Locality Manager in 2018, having spent the previous ten years managing a multi-site operation delivering a service to the elderly across Devon. In Nov 2018, the Live-in Care Manager position became available and Carol was excited to step into this role and begin developing the service.
As the Live-in Care Manager, it is Carol’s responsibility to deliver support packages that enable her customers to live safely & independently in their own homes for as long as possible. She communicates with her customers, family members and health professionals daily, she leads by providing support and guidance to a team of dedicated carers who are passionate about making a difference to the lives of the people in our community.
In her spare time she enjoys taking long walks on the beach with her husband and dog Reggie and enjoying the company of her grandchildren and now great grandchildren.
Lisa Harrower (Care Manager of Plympton and Plymstock)
Lisa joined our team in 2023 but has worked in care since 2005, working in domiciliary care, as an agency carer and then in a mental health care home which she really enjoyed. After doing this for many years Lisa wanted a challenge and moved to being a health and social care assessor. During this time, Lisa supported care staff to gain their care certificates, and level 2, 3 and 4 diplomas.
As enjoyable as this was, Lisa did miss the care side of the sector. This is when Lisa decided to make the move to Bluebird care, and has since, not looked back. Lisa is very family orientated, and has four grown children and one granddaughter. Lisa loves to spend time with her family and walking her two cockapoos, Stanley and Reggie.
Nina joined our Bluebird Care team initially in 2013 and has worked in the care industry ever since. After providing excellent care for our customers as a Care Assistant Nina decided she wanted to try something different. During those 6 years Nina remained in care working with people living with learning disabilities and challenging behaviours. She returned to Bluebird in 2021 as a Live-in Care Supervisor and in 2023 she became a Live-in Care Manager.
As a Live-in Care Manager Nina's responsibility is to communicate with customers, families, live-in carers, and other professionals to make sure everything is running perfectly and customers receive an excellent standard of care.
Nina enjoys spending time with her family, their dog and rabbit and she also she enjoys going on holidays and doing water sports like kitesurfing and snorkelling.
Holly joined Bluebird Care in 2024. She has a wealth of experience and knowledge within the care industry having worked in both domiciliary and residential settings for 14 years. Holly has gained her NVQ level 3 qualification in Health and Social Care and throughout her career has had a strong focus on dementia. Holly worked predominantly in a care home setting which allowed her to work closely with people living with dementia. She learned first hand the challenges people with dementia symptoms and their care givers face and from this found ways to improve the life quality of someone living with these symptoms.
Holly has also worked closely with the various dementia teams throughout Plymouth who contribute to the stages of progression from diagnosis to end of life and has learned the science behind this syndrome and what medications are used to slow down the effects. She has successfully completed the train the trainer course in dementia care and has also had the privilege of completing the End of life Course with St. Luke's Hospice to improve the experiences of all involved with end of life and the knowledge around it.
In Holly’s spare time, she enjoys spending time with her wife and her young family.
Georgia Hackett (Care Coordinator)
Georgia worked in a pub before joining us at Bluebird Care in 2020. Georgia initially joined as a care assistant before joining the office team in November 2023 as our Care Coordinator, which is a role she enjoys and has gone from strength to strength in. Georgia is currently working towards gaining her NVQ level 3 Qualification in Health and Social Care. As Care Coordinator Georgia has the often time challenging role of marrying customer needs to care assistant availability whilst always watching continuity – it is quite a game of chess!
In Georgia’s spare time, you will find her snuggling her two dogs, Reggie and Sushi, especially after a night out enjoyed with friends.
Lana-May Bray (Recruitment and Onboarding Manager)
Lana joined the Bluebird Care team in October 2023, and can honestly say, she has never felt more welcomed by all the staff members. Lana has worked in the care industry since 2018, starting as a Care Assistant before moving from community based to an office based role where she is now our Recruitment and Onboarding Manager. In this role Lana ensures we find the best people to work with our customers and once we find them helps them to feel supported and settled in their new role with us.
In her spare time, Lana enjoys family time, going on days out, hitting the cinema or a nice meal out but if at home loves tucking into a good series on Netflix.
Marissa Pascoe (Field Supervisor)
Marissa has worked in the care industry for 35 years. She joined us at Bluebird Care in 2013 as a Care Assistant. Marissa left for a couple of years but returned in January 2018 first as a care assistant and then in 2019 to a combined community and office based role, as a Field Supervisor. Her role in the company is to provide contingency care when required, to monitor and mentor care assistants in the field, and to support the functioning of the daily operations in the office.
Marissa is also involved in the running of the website, celebrating carers length of service, customers length of time with Bluebird Care and collating reviews from customers and employees. Marissa has gained her NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care and is always eager to learn more skills.
In Marissa’s spare time, she is an avid fan of Plymouth Argyle, and you will often see her on the stands cheering the team on with her family. She loves to spend time with her grandson and two granddaughters. She also likes diamond painting, gardening, bingo and pebble painting.
Helen Gray (Field Supervisor)
Helen has worked for Bluebird Care for 10 years now and has progressed from a Care Expert to a Field Care Supervisor 3 years ago. Helen is working towards becoming a Dementia Specialist to help grow the knowledge base within the team.
In Helen’s spare time, she loves to walk with her dogs, Molly and Millie, and she enjoys camping with them in the warmer months.
Kelly Stephens (Field Supervisor)
Kelly came to work for Bluebird Care through the Covid pandemic and quickly realised her love for the Care Industry. Kelly became a Field Care Supervisor 3 years ago and became an integral part of the team. In Kelly’s spare time, you will likely find her at a football match, watching her teenage son play for his team.
Kelly joined Our Bluebird family in May 2020, during the height of COVID-19, as a Carer for our city area. Kelly joined us via a care friends referral by her lifetime friend Louise Elmes. Kelly is a caring and bubbly person, who after never working in a care role before applied herself fully to her job. Kelly then went on to apply for a Field Care Supervisor role in September 2022 and after a successful interview process, Kelly has settled into the office well.
In her spare time, Kelly likes spending time catching up with her mum, dad, sister, brother, and grandad. Kelly also enjoys family meals with her son, Harvey, and partner, Ryan, and evenings with copious amounts of gin and cocktails with the girls.
Sophie McKeever (Financial Controller)
After gaining a degree in Business Studies and taking an accountancy conversion course at the University of the West of England, Sophie worked for nearly ten years in audit and tax roles before branching out to industry. Prior to joining Bluebird Care in June 2019, Sophie worked for fourteen years in Further Education.
Besides ensuring that the finance function of Bluebird Care runs smoothly, Sophie works closely with the franchise’s owners and operational managers to support and guide their business planning and work together on the continuing success of the business.
Sophie loves to walk her dogs on the beach and through the woods.
Sarah Bird (Payroll Manager)
Sarah joined us in 2019. Sarah with copious amounts of coffee manages everything to do with payroll and holiday – thank you Sarah!! She makes sure that everyone gets paid on time and is given those lovely and necessary days off for their holidays. She is a key member of the finance team and deals with any queries that come through the door.
In her spare time, Sarah adores spending time with her family and friends.
Emma Lidstone (Finance Administrator)
Another key member of our finance team Emma joined us in June 2018. She is responsible for invoicing our customers accurately and timely which she manages seamlessly. She assists customers and their families through any payment difficulties. Emma has 15 years of experience working in accounts and administration.
Emma has also joined the marketing side of the business, helping to promote the business and ensuring that all the ‘thank yous’ and reviews that staff, customers and their families make about our teams are shared on our social media platforms.
In her spare time, Emma loves spending time with her family and going on holiday.
