Our Team

Mark is currently the Chief Executive of St Helena Hospice, based in Colchester, providing a wide range of hospice and community care services in addition to a growing portfolio of social enterprises.

Mark has also undertaken a range of non executive, and chair roles on a number of board membership including the Hospice Quality Partnership, Hospice UK Advisory Council as well as being elected as non-executive director of Dignity and Dying, and trustee and Vice Chair of national charity Compassion in Dying. Mark was also Chair of the community services provider collaborative in North East Essex and is a member of the Colchester Town Deal Board and a Colchester Ambassador.

He has previously worked in the NHS, as a commissioner and as a senior operational manager at Cambridge University Hospitals and Colchester General Hospital. He started his career in HM Prison Service on their graduate leadership scheme working in several senior management roles across the country.

Mark is married with two grown-up children. He enjoys running and walking his golden retriever Yoshimi, and is a keen cook.

Peter has lived and worked locally in social and healthcare for more than 35 years in a range of organisations, and for more than 20 years as a company director.

After graduating he started out as a carer and qualified social worker in Essex, Peter moved on to work in inspection and registration of care services, and special needs housing. He undertook a range of training in counselling and management, became a chartered director and a fellow of the institute of directors. He worked for Estuary Housing in Southend setting up their supported housing and care services and was also based in Southend when working in inspection and registration.

He was the group director of operations at Outlook Care in Essex, and the chief executive of MCCH society working across the Southeast.

Prior to joining Southend Care as managing director he spent a period as a full-time family carer, then worked in the quality department at Southend City Council.

In his free time Peter is a passionate theatre-goer and gardener.

Stephen has over 20 years’ experience in Executive Board and Senior Management roles across Health and Social Care, although starting his career as a Registered Nurse.

This experience spans the NHS, Social Services and Private Equity, focusing on developing and leading teams across acute and mainstream areas of services for people.

Stephen has extensive experience in progressing the transformation agenda in the Health and Social Care Sector. He is dedicated to an outcome, person centred, focus across his areas of responsibility. Properly value-based and in step with the culture of Southend Care Limited in putting service users first.

Krishna Ramkhelawon was appointed as Director of Public Health (DPH) for Southend City Council in 2018 and has previously served as deputy director of public health across local government and NHS organisations.

As DPH, Krishna is proactive in engaging with local stakeholders to address the wider factors that impact on inequalities. Krishna plays a key role as an advocate for the populace ensuring that public sector investment creates opportunities for individuals to thrive whilst delivering value for money and demonstrable social values.

Krishna is diligent in his approach to deploy the latest evidence to inform decision-making that can have a major impact on the health and wellbeing of the local population.

His key areas of work include public health intelligence, health improvement and population health, tackling health inequalities, including housing and ill-health related economic inactivity and specific aspects of health protection. The majority of public health work involves partnership working with local authorities, other NHS organisations, the voluntary sector, businesses, and with local neighbourhoods and communities.

Amanda started her career in health and social care qualifying and working as an Occupational Therapist. Working in senior roles across operations, policy, quality and regulation, she has worked in and across both children's and adult health, care and education including developing quality and governance frameworks in the UK and Middle East.

With a specific interests in safeguarding, investigation and creating a culture of safety, she is an experienced Executive and non-executive bringing a passion promoting choice, rights and opportunity for all in values driven organisations.

In her leisure time she is an equally passionate Border Terrier walker and musical theatre can with occasional travel in particular city breaks.

Dean is currently the Chief Operating Officer for the Lloyd’s Register Foundation with primary responsibilities for Finance and Governance. He is a qualified FCA Chartered Accountant with thirty years’ expertise gained working in executive and non-executive roles in private, not for profit and charitable organisations, predominately in the service sector.

As the Director of Corporate Services at Southend Care Ltd, I oversee HR, business support, and finance. With over 20 years of experience in Human Resources, I apply my expertise to drive improvements, ensuring that our services run efficiently and safely.

Before joining Southend Care Ltd in May 2022, I worked at Southend City Council, where I played a key role in the creation of Southend Care Ltd. I am passionate about our mission and dedicated to making a positive difference - not just for the individuals we support, but also for our committed staff and volunteers. I take great pride in being part of a friendly and driven team that truly makes a difference in people’s lives every day.

Outside of work, I enjoy socialising with family and friends and am an avid Formula 1 fan, always keeping up with the exciting world of motorsports.

Ruth is the Accountant at Southend Care Ltd and leads the Finance Team. She has been part of the organisation since September 2024.

Together with her two team members, Ruth manages all financial operations at SCL. Their broad remit includes ensuring that all invoices and staff payments are processed accurately and on time, maintaining healthy cash flows, raising invoices, and ensuring financial processes run smoothly within clear budgets and guidelines.

Outside of work, Ruth enjoys spending time with her family. As a mum of two young children, life is always busy! She is also an active member of her local church community.

Ruth moved to Westcliff after meeting her husband during a day trip to Southend over ten years ago and has called the area home ever since.

Samantha joined Southend Care Ltd. in September 2024 and hit the ground running! As Business Manager, Samantha is passionate about making a real difference and driving improvements that help our services run more smoothly and effectively.

Since coming on board, Samantha has been working closely with colleagues to refresh and strengthen our marketing strategy, starting with a full relaunch of our website. It's been a great opportunity to better showcase who we are and what we do.

Samantha loves bringing people and ideas together to make things happen, and she is always looking for ways to improve how we work. It’s exciting to be part of a team that’s so committed to delivering high-quality care and support to the Southend community.

Samantha enjoys keeping fit and spending time with her family. They enjoy all aspects of sport but their main passion is the football Premier League.

With over 18 years of experience as a Registered Manager, Joan brings a wealth of knowledge and dedication to health and social care.

She has played a key role in shaping the high-quality, person-centred services at Spencer House, where her leadership and commitment have made a lasting impact.

Joan’s journey into the care sector was inspired by personal experience, seeing the positive difference that compassionate care made when her own father needed support motivated her to pursue a career in the field.

Her passion for providing exceptional care continues to drive her work every day.

Outside of her professional role, Joan enjoys creative pursuits, particularly sewing and other crafts, which allow her to unwind and express her artistic side.

Deborah started her journey in care 9 years ago after caring for her Nan. Deborah could see that good care can make a difference to someone whether it be in a Care Home or their home. Deborah knew after doing this she wanted to be able to support other people to live a fulfilling life.

Deborah started as a carer and enjoyed being able to support people to be as independent as possible and wanted to progress. This was so she could help others come into this role and make a difference. Deborah is now a manager of the Community Service at Southend Care and is fully focussed on helping people on this journey.

Deborah enjoys her role and the ability to support both a care team and individuals. Deborah feels if she can make a difference to one person a day, she knows she is doing a good job. She is passionate about delivering care centred on a person's individual needs and being able to support them to remain in their own homes. Having worked within a Reablement Service and then a Domiciliary Service, she has seen how both can have a positive impact on someone’s Mental and Physical Health.

In Deborah’s spare time she enjoys having friends and family over and enjoy cooking for them, this could be a BBQ or a meal. Deborah likes to see smiling faces and people having a good time. Her family are my greatest support she enjoys spending quality time with them.

Deborah’s other pastime is travelling, over the last few years she has been fortunate to visit places like St Lucia, Jamaica, and other destinations in the Caribbean and will continue to explore the world on these travels and visit new countries and cities.

Debra joined Southend Care in February 2018 as a valued Team Leader at Brook Meadows House.

With over 40 years of experience in support, nursing, and care services, she brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep commitment to delivering high-quality, person-centred care.

Throughout her career, Debra has worked across a wide range of care settings, developing a strong understanding of individual needs and the importance of compassion in every aspect of care.

At Brook Meadows House, Debra not only leads by example but also plays a key role in mentoring new team members, ensuring they feel supported, confident, and aligned with the home’s core values of care, passion, and diversity.

Sharon has worked in the care sector for over 40 years. She started working in the private sector and moved into public sector working for several Borough councils within London and local to Southend.

Sharon worked in Viking service for 18 years working with adults with complex and profound needs, before moving into Avro/Project 49 where she worked up until 2017. During her time in Project 49 she supported adults learning skills to promote their independence. This led to her taking on the role managing the Making it Work Supported Employment service for adults with Learning disabilities.

In January 2025 Sharon became the Service Manager for the newly formed Engagement and Employment service overseeing Making it Work, Project 49 and Viking.

Sharon enjoys visiting historical buildings, watching rugby, cooking and spending quality time with her family.

Clare Petchey, joined Southend Care in September 2019 as a Recruitment Coordinator and was promoted to HR Adviser in 2023. Prior to joining Southend Care, Clare worked for a domiciliary care company as a HR and Payroll Assistant.

Clare’s favourite part of her role is supporting carers on their career journey, enabling them to complete qualifications and grow their career either within Southend Care or externally. Her favourite project from the past year was working on the Engagement and Wellbeing benefits offered to front line care and support staff.

In her spare time Clare enjoys walking her dog and spending time with her family.

As a HR Advisor at Southend Care Ltd, I support with the day to day running of the HR Department.

Before beginning my career in HR 5 years ago, I worked as a community carer, where I developed my passion for working within the care industry.

Outside of work I enjoy travelling and spending time with friends and family.