Hartford Care has appointed Gemma Melhuish as its new people and culture director.

Melhuish began her career in the NHS on an HR graduate training programme, gaining experience across primary, secondary and mental health hospital trusts. Upon completion of the programme, she became Charted Institute of Personnel and Development qualified and completed a master’s degree in HR.

After seven years as head of HR at West Middlesex University Trust, she transitioned to the charity sector as director of HR for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, a position she held for six years. Melhuish is also a trustee at GlassDoor homeless charity.

She said: “During my time at Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, we created a positive working culture by truly valuing our people, listening to them and helping them progress professionally. The company was awarded ‘The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work’ for 11 consecutive years which I was very proud of.

“I am extremely passionate about working for an organisation that cares about its employees and volunteers as much as its residents and their families. Hartford Care’s values of care, comfort and companionship, along with its ‘home from home’ ethos resonated with me, and my role demonstrates the importance Hartford Care is putting into building a positive culture.

“It’s crucial for me to work in an organisation where you can see the impact you have and I want our teams to enjoy coming to work, feel supported and be empowered to do a good job, which in turn gives our residents the best care possible.”

Kevin Shaw, chief executive of Hartford Care, said: “Our company has always been dedicated to supporting our team members and Gemma’s appointment strengthens this commitment. Recruitment and retention are two of the biggest challenges in the care sector and these will be Gemma’s immediate areas of focus.”