More than a decade of nursing experience
Sophie Gardiner joined Caremark Cheltenham and Gloucester in January 2026 as Registered Adult Nurse and Clinical Lead. She brings more than a decade of nursing experience and a strong background in complex care, rehabilitation and clinical research.
Her role is focused on developing Caremark’s complex care provision across Gloucestershire. She supports adults with complex health needs to live safely and as independently as possible in their own homes.
Sophie’s professional background has largely centred on providing clinical care for people with neurological diseases and disorders. She also supports individuals with complex physical and mental health needs. Much of her career has been spent in rehabilitative settings, including neurorehabilitation and mental health rehabilitation. In these settings, the focus has been on helping people manage their conditions and maintain as much independence as possible.
Live their most fulfilling lives
“A large proportion of my career has been working in rehabilitative settings, both physical and mental health,” said Sophie. “The focus has always been on helping individuals manage their conditions as independently as possible, so they can live their most fulfilling lives.”
Before qualifying as a nurse, Sophie worked as a healthcare assistant in a range of settings, including nursing homes, hospitals and community care. She has now been working in healthcare since 2010 and has been a qualified nurse for around ten years.
Her career has also included clinical research, including work on COVID-19 vaccine trials. Sophie contributed to research looking at the safety and effectiveness of giving COVID-19 and flu vaccines together — work she describes as her “little claim to fame”.
“I have a background in clinical research and a strong professional interest in healthcare innovation,” said Sophie. “The study helped demonstrate that giving the COVID and flu vaccines together was safe and effective, and that made a real difference.”
Building Caremark’s complex care service
Since joining Caremark Cheltenham and Gloucester, Sophie has been creating the infrastructure needed to deliver complex care services locally. This has included developing policies, training packages and competencies to ensure care staff are confident, skilled and supported.
“My role is setting up the complex care provision for Caremark in Gloucestershire,” said Sophie. “We will be providing care for individuals with complex health needs who require nurse oversight.”
That means supporting adults with more complex requirements. This includes people who may need support with clinical interventions such as PEG feeding or tracheostomy care. It also includes people with behavioural support or mental health needs.
Sophie says the service is now ready to begin taking referrals. Meanwhile, the development of policies, training and best practice will continue in the background as the service grows.
Supporting people at home
For Sophie, the aim of complex care is to give people greater choice and help them remain in familiar surroundings wherever possible. She believes there is a clear need for more complex care provision. This is particularly true as people live longer with increasingly complex conditions.
“There is certainly a need for it,” said Sophie. “People are living with conditions that even ten years ago they might not have survived. But with that comes a lot of health complexities.”
She also highlights the importance of consistency for people receiving care. This is especially important when support is delivered over many hours each week.
“If you’ve got somebody in your house for 40 hours a week, it needs to be a good fit,” said Sophie. “It is very different to domiciliary care when you are popping in for half an hour.”
Caremark’s model of employing contracted care staff is one of the things Sophie believes will help the service provide continuity for people and families.
“That is going to offer some consistency for the people who use the service,” she said. “For complex packages, it is really important to get the right team around the person.”
Developing the team
Sophie has also been working closely with existing Caremark staff who are interested in moving into complex care. Staff have been interviewed and assessed for their skills, interests and suitability for different types of support. This includes support ranging from complex physical health care to behavioural and mental health support.
“I have been spending a lot of time getting to know them better and trying to work out best fit,” she said. “A lot of these complex packages are 24-hour wraparound care, so it needs to be a good fit.”
She sees the new service as a valuable development opportunity for care staff, giving them the chance to build specialist skills while being supported by a registered nurse.
“At the moment we are trying to get this service off the ground by upskilling and supporting the existing staff that we have,” said Sophie. “It is a really good development opportunity for them.”
A hands-on nurse
Although much of the early work has involved setting up systems and training, Sophie is looking forward to being out in the field with care teams and the people they support.
“I am really excited to be able to get out in the field and support people,” she said. “I am quite a hands-on nurse and not an office dweller, so I will be out there shoulder to shoulder with the carers, making sure that everything is tip top.”
She also continues to keep her own clinical skills up to date through regular bank work. She feels this is important in a role that supports others clinically.
“It is really important for me as a nurse to keep my own skills, practice and knowledge up to date,” said Sophie. “That needs to filter through to the carers.”
About Caremark Cheltenham and Gloucester
If you would like to find out more about our new complex care service in Cheltenham and Gloucester, either as a potential new client or to become a Support Worker, please get in touch today on 01242 370797.