On Friday 15th November, the Passenger Shed, Bristol provided a spectacular backdrop for the finals of the Great South West Care Awards, where the eighteen category winners were announced.
The Great South WestCare 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 South West 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 eighteen 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 TV 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 2014 at a prestigious venue in London.
The awards support a chosen charity; The Care Worker’s Charity 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 South West Care Awards for the fourth 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 South West 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 South West Awards, together with the judge’s comments are detailed below:
The Care Employer Award – Crimson Hill Support
Felicity has a vision to deliver very different types of care and is doing it successfully for complex service users within the community. This achievement is much clearer as Crimson Hill Support are not a “preferred provider” and have grown the business by becoming recognised for their expertise in this area. Congratulations!
The Care Home Worker Award – Chloe Boundford – Scope
Chloe is an inspiration. Young, dedicated and very enthusiastic about what she and her team deliver. Chloe has learnt two sign languages to ensure she can communicate with her team of clients and her passion for her role clearly shone through.
The Home Care Worker Award – Natasha Richardson – DoCare Ltd
The judges found Natasha’s professional attitude to her role, along with her compassion and clear aptitude a winning combination for this category. Natasha genuinely cares and deserves this recognition for the fantastic work she does.
The Care Newcomer Award – Abigail Adlem – Nazareth Lodge Ltd
Abigail was like a breath of fresh air. Not only does she show passion and understanding of her role, she is dynamic with a bubbly personality and must be a joy to work with. She has just completed her apprenticeship and would make a great ambassador for this scheme. Luckily she wants to stay within the care sector for a long time so watch this space, we are certain she will go far!
The Care Home Registered Manager – Janine May – Care South
Janine is mad – mad about care, quality and ensuring that her residents get the best possible care and experience. Janine is very hands on and leads from the front, well done Janine!
The Home Care Registered Manager – Claire Tailby – Sterling Care
Claire is a fantastic example of what an excellent home care manager should be. Her passion to deliver person-centred, quality care coupled with a highly organised, professional business structure made her the clear winner. Well done Claire – A truly outstanding lady!
The Nutrition & Hydration Award – Camilla Trimble – Nazareth Lodge
Brilliantly bonkers! The perfect person with a real passion for food of which a large portion is home grown. Her lack of budget approach and ‘hell to it lets have a sherry’ really works and her clients see the obvious benefits. Never has nutrition and hydration been so thrilling!
The Dignity in Care Award – Dominic Long – Homes Caring for Autism
Dignity in care forms the basis of everything that Dominic does, from person-centred planning to communication techniques with his clients to make sure that their voice is heard. A truly inspiring young man who we are sure will go far – well done Dominic!
The Dementia Carer Award – Kath Rycroft – Alzheimer’s Society
Kath is a very worthy winner. Her passion for the services she helps to provide shone through. Even at 71yrs old her energy and enthusiasm for person-centred care was impressive and showed no sign of slowing down – a true inspiration, well done Kath!
The Care Team Award – Leigh Farm Staffing Team – Crossways Care
This was a very difficult decision but this dedicated team impressed with its consistent, structured and positive outcome- focussed approach, making a difference to young people’s future. Clearly a very strong and committed team with great passion for everything they do. Congratulations!
The Care Home Activity Organiser Award – Marie Claire Foale – Pilling Care Homes Ltd
The judges were impressed by incredible drive and passion. Marie Claire has an inspirational approach to person-centred activities based on life histories and memory boxes. She sees activities as the most important role in care and strives to give the best to her clients. A remarkable lady who really deserves this award – well done!
The Ancillary Worker Award – Magdalena Kasprzycka – The Old Vicarage
Magdalena has a huge emphatic heart and this is directed at all the people she helps to care for. We have no doubt that her love for what she does touches all of those that know her and her quality and commitment to care is something that cannot be taught.
The Care Trainer Award – Becky Harvey – Belena Training
Becky has a natural awareness of equality and grass-roots experience of care delivery. Becky is passionate that good training and qualifications are essential for excellent quality frontline support.
The Care Innovator Award – Chris Scriven – Bluebird Care Dorset
The judges were impressed by Chris’s community engagement and how he supports projects that enhance the lives of older people in the local area. Chris goes above and beyond in everything he does, both to develop his own business and support his community. An inspirational man who is a worthy winner.
The Frontline Leaders Award – Simon Parfitt – Way Ahead Care
The care sector is fortunate in having Simon. His enthusiasm and passion is truly remarkable and the difference he is making deserves recognition. We were delighted to choose Simon as our winner – well done!
The Home Care Co-ordinator Award – Kerry Claridge – My Carer Ltd
Kerry demonstrated a person-centred approach to service users and staff. She has a strong desire to enable service users to stay at home and related this to her personal experiences. Kerry is a team player and regularly works alongside staff in the field to ensure quality care and satisfied service users throughout.
The Putting People First Award – Steve Todd – Notaro Homes Ltd
Everyone in this category scored so closely but Steve’s project stood out as innovative and clearly expressed the values of person centred approach. ‘Empowering residents to empower staff’ – a quote from Steve that says it all!
The Outstanding Contribution to Social Care Award – Annie Sinnott – The Old Vicarage
With over 30yrs of dedication to the care sector Annie shows no signs of stopping and continues to strive for quality care. Her passion and commitment to the industry are remarkable and Annie touches the heart of everyone she meets. A very worth winner of this award, well done Annie!