Enfield care home boss gets shock Coronation invite

Joanne Balmer will be attending Saturday’s historic ceremony in central London

The chief executive of an Enfield care home will be among the invited guests at King Charles III’s Coronation this weekend.

Joanne Balmer BEM, a registered nurse who has a career in health and social care spanning more than 20 years, leads the parent company of Elsyng House, a care home opened in 2021 in Forty Hill.

“I am both surprised and very honoured to be asked to attend this historic event,” said Joanne. “I can’t believe that I have been chosen from millions of people for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m very much looking forward to it and to sharing as much as I can from the day with our residents!”

Joanne was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2021 in recognition of her leadership of Oakland Care during the turbulence of the Covid-19 pandemic. She began her career as a nurse and progressed through a number of management roles before moving into the care sector.

Joanne has led the way in sustainability in the care sector and Oakland Care is the only carbon neutral provider in the UK. She was also the winner of the ‘Environmental, Social, and Governance’ title in the recent Health Investor Power 50 Awards.

“A passion for the environment is certainly something King Charles and I share,” adds Joanne. “I’m looking forward to being able to visit all of our homes and share my experience with the residents, many of whom remember the Queen’s Coronation from their childhoods.

“They have a great interest in the royal family and it will be lovely to tell them all about it.”

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