Nicola Johnstone

Nicola Johnstone - Belong Atherton - General Manager

Award-winning registered nurse, Nicola Johnstone, is responsible for overseeing all aspects of village life, including our 24-hour care households, independent living apartments and our community services.

Starting her career in the care sector as a domestic assistant in 2003, Nicola completed qualifications in health and social care to enable progression to care assistant, senior carer and care team leader roles. Following completion of her BSc in adult nursing at Salford university in 2008, she joined Belong’s newly-opened Atherton village as one of its first nurses; gaining promotion to lead nurse just a year later. In 2014 she also attained a degree in leadership and management with West Cheshire College, which eventually led to her promotion to the registered manager role with the Care Quality Commission.

As a leading example of frontline nurses in social care, in 2018, Nicola was invited to Buckingham Palace to meet Prince Charles. She subsequently helped to guide the Belong Atherton team to achieve platinum status in the Gold Standard Framework, to go with the village’s ‘outstanding’ rating awarded by the CQC.

She is a former ‘Nurse of the Year’ winner at Wigan and Leigh Hospice Awards, and has also won two Great North West Care Awards, one for End-of-Life Care and the Supported Living Manager Award.