On Saturday 24th November, the Hilton Hotel, Newcastle provided a spectacular backdrop for the finals of the Great North East Care Awards, where the seventeen category winners were announced.
The Great North EastCare Awards, supported by the Department of Health, are part of the Great British Care Awards, a series of regional awards which celebrates excellence in social care and pay tribute to those who work in the sector throughout England. The awards are all inclusive, bringing together the statutory, independent and voluntary sectors, as well as unpaid carers; promoting joint working.
The Great North East Care Awards have received nominations and support from all corners of the sector. Sector support includes the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), Skills for Care, Ceretas and the English Community Care Association. Local Authority support and commercial organisations are also supporting the awards. Care Talk magazine is the media partner.
There were a total of seventeen award categories available for nomination, which represent all areas of the care sector,whether it be older people or specialist services and from frontline staff such as care workers and care managers to people who have made an impact in other ways such as training, specialist care in areas such as dementia and innovation.
Nominations came in from all corners of the sector and region and successful candidates were invited for interview for infront of a panel of sector experts. Thegala award evening started in style with a champagne reception, followed by a superb gourmet dinner and the awards presentation with television personality Alison Hammond and then dancing into the night.
Winners from the awards will be invited to attend the national finals for either the home care or care home sector which will take place in April and June 2013 at a prestigious venue in London.
The awards support a chosen charity; The Care Professionals Benevolent Fund is the registered charity for the Care Sector and are here to support current, former and retired care professionals, by providing assistance to relieve financial hardship or sickness.
Lisa Carr, Director of the Great British Care Awards said,
“We are delighted to be staging the Great North EastCare Awards for the third time. The care awards are going from strength to strength with this year’s regional events. The support from sector partners has been overwhelming and the quality and sheer nominations has been astounding.
These awards recognise and pay tribute to the efforts and dedication of all those who work tirelessly to ensure that so many people are able to live independent lives in their own home. They are the perfect showcase to reflect on best practice in the social care sector. A sector where people truly dedicate themselves to their work and take pride in their achievements.
The people of the North East are incredibly fortunate to have such dedicated people caring for the vulnerable and elderly members of their communities. Congratulations to everyone this evening – everyone here is a winner!”
The winners of the Great North East Awards, together with the judge’s comments are detailed below:
The Care Employer Award
Enable Care & Support Services
Enable Care & Support services demonstrated passion and enthusiasm for their employees and service users well beyond the norm. Delivering quality care and recognising that care is about giving people what they want.
The Care Home Worker Award
Joyce Edwards – Anchor Trust
Joyce’s warm and unassuming personality shone through and she clearly demonstrated a person-centred approach. She felt it was important not to be seen as a stranger to her residents. Well done Joyce!
The Home Care Worker Award
Carol Cleary – Gateshead Council
The judges were impressed by Carol’s obvious dedication and passion to her service users. When facing new challenges of introducing care to service users she took things slowly using a step by step approach remembering that it’s all about the person.
The Care Newcomer Award
John Truman – New Prospects Association
John shone through because he wanted to give something back to the community after working in a different industry for 24yrs. He looks at the whole person by providing practical support but goes beyond the call of duty by taking people bike riding and camping – building confidence and introducing new skills.
The Care Home Registered Manager Award
Jude Goode – Advinia Health Care
A very enthusiastic and intuitive manager, Jude demonstrated a competent awareness of the difficulties of managing staff and a care home in a challenging environment. The home ‘stole her heart’ and it shows! Well done Jude!
The Home Care Registered Manager Award
Graham Harrison – Sevacare UK Ltd
Graham’s ethos of compassionate care delivered with dignity and respect shone through. He demonstrated true leadership qualities and outstanding motivational skills – congratulations Graham!
The Dignity in Care Award
Brian Foster – Durham County Council
Brian’s passion and enthusiasm for his role was obvious from the outset. His attitude to dignity is practical and straight forward which ensure that is a realistic and achievable goal in daily practice.
The Dementia Carer Award
Kayleigh Mynott – Pearlcare
Kayleigh impressed the judges she went beyond life histories and used life stories to understand the needs of the residents with dementia. She empowers people to take risks involving them in areas such as gardening, baking and housekeeping. Kayleigh looks at the person and not the dementia.
The Care Home Team Award
Finchley House Staff Team – Community Integrated Care
The team had a very person-centred approach, their enthusiasm was infectious and inspiring. They people as individuals and drew from the diversity of the workforce. The team are very service user focussed and support people to be part of the community.
The Home Care Team Award
The Complete Group
This team’s strength is its natural dedication and commitment to the person they care for, with respect and common goals in empowering him via excellent personalised support.
The Care Home Activity Organiser Award
Gail Bowden – Four Seasons Healthcare
Gail demonstrated passion and commitment to all her residents regardless of their ability, creating inclusion for all with excellent communication and is an inspiration to colleagues and residents alike.
The Ancillary Worker Award
Paul Connor – Care Management Services
Paul demonstrated passion, enthusiasm and drive, he finds working in the care sector very rewarding and this shone through with everything he said. Well done Paul!
The Care Trainer Award
Maria Field – Care Management Services
It’s rare to meet an individual who is so passionate about their work, Maria strives to deliver excellence by developing aspirations and dreams of both staff and clients.
The Frontline Leaders Award
Lesa Kell – Community Integrated Care
In a tough field Lesa had taken a service – not for the first time – and turned it around. She had many examples of practical leadership where she had made a difference. Lesa deserves this award – well done!
The Home Care Co-ordinator Award
Toni Spires – Gateshead Council
Toni’s effective co-ordination skills were articulated well to judges, she clearly demonstrated her willingness to develop both herself and the service for the people in need of reablement to maximise their independence.
The Putting People First Award
Margaret McGreevy, Janis White & Kathleen Ainsley – Equal Partnerships Ltd
Personalisation is EVERYTHING to these ladies, clients are not only put first but put at the centre of all decision making. These ladies live their company ethos of ‘don’t do it about me without me’ and this is what makes them so special and deserving of this award.
The Outstanding Contribution to Social Care Award
Ellen Vick – New Prospects Association
Ellen has a long history in care, starting as a support worker and working her way up to Chief Executive of New Prospects. She is an inspiration to staff, and an excellent ambassador for people with learning disabilities.