60 seconds with Mark Homewood

We spoke to Mark Homewood, Abbeyfield Living Society Regional Operations Manager, to find out more about his role.

What was your career before coming to Abbeyfield?

I worked for Hanover and then Anchor following the merger of the two organisations. All my roles there involved working with older people – first working in Extra Care, followed by an Area Manager role in Retirement Housing, then in Leasehold from 2016. All these roles gave me plenty of relevant experience for my role at Abbeyfield, which I started in January 2025. 

What is it about Abbeyfield that makes it a special organisation to work for?

I love Abbeyfield’s clear commitment to residents and the service they receive from top to bottom. It's definitely instilled in the company.
In my first month, we went to meet with new residents whose house had been taken over by Abbeyfield Living Society. What could have been a blanket single residents meeting instead was a series of individual resident one-to-one meetings to inform them personally of the changes. Administrative staff, regional management and the director were all present and involved, indicating the special emphasis ALS places on ensuring residents feel safe, secure and at home with us.

What is your typical day-to-day job?

Every day I like to be available for staff, to provide support and guidance when they have concerns. I’ll answer my emails, book in audits, deal with complaints, and generally overseeing the great performance of my houses. I’ll always try to stay positive, and hope that rubs off on the team.

Which part of the job do you most enjoy?

As well as working with the team, I enjoy getting out and about across the patch to see everyone – especially our amazing residents. 

What are the most significant challenges you face in your role?

Covering staff who are off sick or when a vacancy hasn’t been filled is always a challenge.

How do you work with your staff team to support, motivate and inspire them to deliver the best possible service for their residents?

I try to be myself and be visible when on site and listen. I like to make sure there isn't an ‘us and them’ feeling – everyone's opinion counts and everyone’s needs are important, regardless of their role or how often they work on site in a week. I feel like I show an unguarded authenticity while on site.