Park House Court Nursing Home were pleased to invite Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, and Richard Jones, acting director of the RCN Wales, to lunch last Thursday, and discuss the issues surrounding the independent care sector.  Lunch was a choice of the daily menu, five hot dishes, multiple filling with jacket potatoes, two types of salad and a large choice of desserts. The home is proud to have an excellent chef who is ably supported by a committed team that produce breakfast in bed, cooked lunch, and hot/cold supper every day of the week. Peter offered to take issues of staffing, overseas recruitment and funding to the national agenda and clearly understood the issues the independent sector faces. They looked around the elderly mental infirm unit and were pleased with the visible level of care delivered by the RMN nurse-led care team. While walking around, they noted that all the team were pleasant and responded to questions in a positive manner.  There was lots of praise for the new wing, especially how well the Tenby Cottage Ward was working. This is a unique relationship in Wales. The NHS patients are looked after by employees of Park House Court, and of course, the building is owned by the company. Park House Court cares for 10 NHS patients with a complement of 97 beds in all. This growth has been steady and planned over the last 11 years and includes an on-site creche that was established for the benefit of staff (and local families) and a training team that is happy to support other businesses who may not be able to afford their own training department. The prices reflect this commitment. The training team is keen to point out that they are practitioners and train from real current work-based experience. While on-site, Peter Carter was kind enough to formally present Mandy Proctor with her certificate in clinical leadership. Mandy is one of only five in Wales to achieve it.  Park House Court supports membership of the RCN and has on its team a 'learning rep' who also sits on the Wales board, and a health and safety rep, both of whom actively support the professional body side of the RCN and, of course, they will be attending the forthcoming annual general meeting to be held at Withybush Hospital. Park House Court is happy to share with interested parties, and recruit those with or without experience, but have a caring attitude. Call (01834) 843955 to arrange a visit or make further enquiries.