Meet Our Team

Candice O’Neill

General Manager

What I Do:
I’m so proud to be the leader of a successful team where everyone puts their heart and soul into everything they do in their day-to-day duties, making a real difference to the lives of people who live at Rivermede Court. We all share the common goal of putting our residents first and ensuring the highest level of care.
I am delighted to join Cinnamon as their dedication to offering luxury living with exceptional care is a vision shared by me.

My Experience:
I have worked in the care industry since 1998 and been a registered manager in different settings supporting people with varied needs since 2004, with a background in working with the elderly and in dementia care.
Before starting at Cinnamon I was the registered manager of a residential home which had received an Outstanding CQC rating twice in a row.

About Me:
I believe that being part of something so special is a true privilege and I relish the opportunity to deliver exceptional person-centred care in a Beautiful Luxury home.

Manon James-Mallinger

Deputy Manager

What I do:
I started work at Rivermede Court last year as a Team Leader and have recently been promoted to Deputy Manager. I am enjoying my new role and all the challenges it brings. I am looking forward to growing the fantastic team at Rivermede Court and in helping to deliver excellent person centred care.

My experience:
Originally from Luxembourg, I came to the UK in 2006 and have worked in the care sector ever since I started as a Care Assistant and I have worked my way up from Carer to Senior Carer to Care Manager. I have worked in different care settings mostly homes that provided nursing care. My passion lies within the care sector and my ambition is to make a positive difference in people‘s lives.

About me:
I have recently gotten married. It only took 14 years but we got there in the end. In my spare time I like to meet with friends, have coffee and watch the world go by. I also enjoy reading a good book.

Becky Griffin

Business Administrator

What I do:
I have worked for Cinnamon Care since March 2020 and took over as Administrator at Rivermede Court permanently in July 2020. I come from a background in Administration, Customer Service and Office Management and am enjoying getting stuck into a new challenge at Rivermede Court. I really enjoy chatting to the residents and their families and they never fail to brighten my day. I really strive to go the extra mile for our residents and to help my team members.

About me:
I am married and my husband is a musician and Head of Performing Arts at a college. I have a 16 year old daughter who is incredibly creative and great at art. I enjoy music a great deal and usually attend a lot of gigs. I play the ‘cello, but am not very good. I did used to teach small children ‘cello and they didn’t seem to notice! I also enjoy embroidery and reading. I used to run a book club, but Covid-19 has put a dampener on that for the moment.
My main hobby for a long time was Roller Derby, I had to stop because the wear and tear on my knees was too much, but still enjoy casual skating.
I also have 2 cats named Arlo and William, a tortoise named Scout and a gecko named Poe. We have had a lot of reptiles as pets over the years, at one point I had 8 snakes.

Sandra Patricio

Homes Admissions Advisor

What I do:
I have been working as a Home Admission Advisor for Cinnamon Care Collection for just over a year.
At Rivermede Court I will be the Home Admission Advisor, this means it will be my privileged to be the first one connecting with you and your loves ones, supporting as much as I can in this overwhelming decision that is to choose the right home for the one you love.

My Experience:
I qualified as a Dietitian and I have worked in the care sector for just over 10 years in England and abroad.
I worked as a Dietitian in Portugal and in England I worked in the hospitality sector. Started in the hospitality team as a Hospitality assistant and develop my career to Divisional Hospitality Specialist after I finish the master’s in leadership and management having 42 care homes under my responsibility at the time.
Because I am very passionate about what I do I then developed my career towards sales and marketing, and I have been doing it for just about four years.

About me:
I recently became a mother of a lovely girl who is a bundle of joy in our lives.
When I have some spare time, I enjoy reading a good book, watching good movie or spending time with my family. Traveling is something we as a family love to do, we enjoy getting to know other cultures and countries.
Because I am very passionate about food, especially when it comes to babies and children, I like to spend time teaching new mums in how and when to introduce new food to them. In my research I realized there isn’t a lot of guidance out there for mums, so also in my spare time I am writing a book about it.

Hanka Vlhova

Activity Co-Ordinator

What I Do:
I’m the Activity Co-Ordinator at Rivermede Court and my role is to compose activities and events for our residents that are inclusive, enjoyable and exciting. As well as organising events within the home I also like to arrange visits to local attractions and events. This helps to promote a social network for our residents. My role includes activity plans based on wellbeing, mental stimulation, physical well -being and of course the most important ingredient fun.

My Experience:
I am a qualified hairdresser, however for the past 20 years I have been working with children, starting as an au-pair all the way to teaching assistant and cub scout leader. I am a great believer in being part of the community and have helped out with organising events and fundraising in the local area.

About me:
I am family-oriented person. I love spending time with my two lovely children and my partner enjoying adventures, trips or just staying home playing board games – I love playing board games and I am up for any challenge! My hobbies are cooking, baking, any types of craft, gardening and scouting.

Dhivakar Sethuraj

Head Chef

What I do:
I am the Head chef at Rivermede Court, Egham. An ambitious and well-rounded chef with over 20 years of experience at noted establishments such as Hyatt, Centre Parcs, Carnival Cruise Lines, Taj hotels.

As a head chef at Rivermede Court, I am proud to lead my professional hospitality team in delivering the highest standards of food and service care for elderly residents at Rivermede Court. According to our resident’s personal preferences I prepare all the dishes presented in our menu with seasonal fresh ingredients.
Maintaining strong relationships with Rivermede Team is important to me and I understand the contribution that these relationships make to the successful running of a kitchen in a care home setting.