Our Management & staff

DIRECTOR: Annar Neallani Mangalji

Annar has a Bachelors degree in Social Work from the University of British Columbia, Canada. She is a certified Social Worker in Texas, USA, and has a diploma in Canadian Health Care Administration. Annar has over forty-four years of experience in the care field, thirty four years of which have been providing care at the Devonshire, as well as five and a half years at Claremont House, also a Specialist Dementia Care Home in Weybridge. She is a dementia mapper, trainer and consultant in Positive Approach to Care and strongly believes in promoting quality of life and creating moments of joy for every person who lives with dementia. In 2017, she was awarded the Bank of Montreal (BMO) Celebrating Women Award for Community and Charitable Giving, Vancouver, Canada. This award recognises the contribution to business and the community of female leaders as part of BMO's commitment to drive the advancement of women. In July 2018, Annar received an honorary doctorate from the University of West London for her work in dementia. Her best teachers have been the Residents she has had the honour of caring for. She has developed a unique dementia model which is incorporated into daily life at the Devonshire. With the help of her dynamic staff team it has made a huge difference in the lives of Residents entrusted to her care. 

CARE MANAGER: SMITHMON SASI

Smithmon, who likes to be called Smith, joined the Devonshire team in 2015. He started as an Assistant Manager; next he helped establish and run the Devonshire Dementia Day Centre as Director and is now Care Manager of both the Care Home and the Day Centre.

After graduating in India with a nursing degree, he worked for two years and then came to London to pursue a Masters degree. While studying he started working in the care industry. His love and respect for his grandparents, his Indian heritage, his gentle manner and passion to provide exceptional care have led him further down this path. He has an NVQ level 3 in Health & Social Care; Level 7 Post Graduate Diploma in Leadership & Management in Health Care; Masters degree in Business Administration. He is a qualified Dementia Care mapper, a Certified Trainer and consultant in Positive Approach to Care and has studied Dementia & the Montessori method.

He is leading his team to learn the most effective approaches in dementia care and works tirelessly to make a difference in peoples’ lives. Smith’s ultimate aim is to provide seamless care for the Residents and Day Guests, at the same time educating and reassuring every family member struggling to provide care to their loved ones.

Smith’s first day in his new position as Care Manager was March 16 2020, at the time when the Devonshire and the whole of the UK went into lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic. Smiths’ nursing background and experience together with his knowledge of the Devonshire have helped him steer the Devonshire to minimise the pandemic reach. Although we, as the rest of the UK, are not out of the woods yet, the Devonshire has been fortunate as a care home to date. Thanks to Smith’s leadership we were also the first home to cautiously open up for visits in the Kingston area.

Deputy Manager: Donna Bedford

Donna joined the Devonshire Care Team in May 2013 as a Carer; she had never worked in care before. She was promoted to Assistant Manager in 2016 and Deputy Manager in 2019. Her stellar rise to Deputy Manager is a result of her caring personality, popularity with Residents and her calm nature, together with her organisational skills at multi-tasking and going that extra mile. Donna has a QCF level 3 in Health and Social Care and is a certified dementia mapper. She has taken validation training, is a Positive Approach to Care Champion and Trainer. She loves every aspect of her job at the Devonshire and says her heart is at the Devonshire, the Residents are like family and she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. She tries to make every day different and special for the Residents and Day Guests. 

Assistant Manager: Yvette Nuwagira

Yvette was born in Uganda where she also grew up. She came to the UK in 1997. Yvette joined our care team as a Carer in February 2016 and was promoted to Assistant Manager in 2017. She has a degree in Psycho Social Studies and is completing her Mental Health Nursing at the University of Kingston and is a Positive Approach to Care Champion. Yvette's soft, gentle and caring manner is very popular with our Residents and her lovely smile is infectious. Her observational skills together with her attention to detail ensure that our Residents’ needs are all identified. Yvette loves the Residents, Day Guests and Families and thinks the culture of the Devonshire feels like home. Yvette particularly enjoys the training and experiences and says that working at the Devonshire has been life changing for her.

ASSISTANT MANAGER: Daniel Luyima

Daniel started work at the Devonshire in August 2018. He has a Bachelors degree in procurement, and work experience in telecommunications. His only previous experience in care was when he was growing up in Uganda, where the culture is respect for your elders; he and his extended family took care of his grandmother. Daniel’s caring nature, passion, drive to learn, as well as his support for team colleagues, soon earned him a leadership role as senior member of his team and more recently a well-deserved promotion to Assistant Manager. Daniel is a Devonshire Positive Approach Champion, and is a First Aid and Fire Marshall. He has completed the Devonshire validation training and is currently completing his QCF level 3 in Health and Social Care.

Daniel came to the UK to look for a better life for his own future and that of his family. He is married and has three children. In his spare time, Daniel likes to do cross fit training, read to broaden his knowledge and watch movies. Daniel loves being part of the Devonshire and feels satisfied at the end of each day because he feels he has made a positive impact on the wellbeing of our Residents and Day Guests.

ADMIN ASSISTANT: JOLA DE KOKER

Jola joined the Devonshire Team in June 2018. She has a Masters degree in Teaching and Translation and before moving to the UK worked as a teacher in Poland for 4 years. Jola has an NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care. She loves working at the Devonshire because every day is different and broadens her knowledge about dementia. It makes her appreciate the small details about life even more. She loves being surrounded by friendly people and the special joy she feels when Residents and Day Guests smile!

Family Advocate and Development Coordinator:
Charlotte Rayani

Charlotte Rayani joined our management team as a Family Advocate and Development Coordinator in 2014. She helps problem-solve, brain storm and specialises in research and quality assurance. Charlotte is a qualified dementia mapper.

Health Care Consultant: Victoria Tischler

Victoria Tischler is a chartered psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She retains an Honorary Associate Professor post in the Division of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology, The University of Nottingham. Victoria’s research focuses on creativity and mental health. She is leading a number of projects that develop the evidence base for arts and multisensory approaches in dementia care, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. She is executive editor for the journal 'Arts and Health' and a member of the Boots UK archive scientific advisory board. She has authored many papers on mental health, medical and health humanities, and arts and dementia. She has worked as a curator, is a Trustee of the charity Paintings in Hospitals and is a consultant to PS/Y, a research, curating and public engagement collective. She regularly acts as a media consultant and presenter on art and mental health issues.