East Midlands GBCA Winners and Highly Commended Announced
The Care Home Employer Award
Strong Life Care
Harpreet is a pioneering employer, from providing Whoop health devices to all staff, to a being an active promoter of diversity & inclusion at work, and a role model for philanthropy in social care. His forward-thinking leadership consistently raises standards and inspires others across the sector.
Kara Healthcare
Nitesh is an extraordinary entrepreneur, who’s KARA Training Academy is creating a blueprint for how to invest in people, with the results being seen through his industry leading attrition rates, and staff satisfaction scores. His commitment to empowering the workforce is setting new standards for excellence across the sector.
The Home Care Employer Award
LJM Homecare
Lindsay began the company with 0 hours and 0 staff. Her passion for not only delivering the very best support there is, but commitment to training and development (including for herself) really indicated the culture of a company that does not stand on ceremony, encourages positive risk taking, and delivers care through the training of the people they employ.
Premier Community
Dan and Tim were fantastic to meet, demonstrating a genuine passion for continuing the legacy of their family business. Their commitment to continuous improvement shines through in every aspect of their work, and they never lose sight of a people-first approach, ensuring staff and those they support, remain at the heart of everything they do.
The Care Home Worker Award
Sergio Mcinnes, Milewood Healthcare
Sergio has a fantastic energy and commitment to Social Care and to his peers and his colleagues and service users. He is a breath of fresh air and has an incredible work ethic. His positivity, leadership, and willingness to support others make a meaningful difference every day, elevating the culture and quality of care around him.
Susan Mujahid, Exemplar
Susan displayed exceptional empathy, respect, and commitment, proving herself to be a highly credible care worker who takes genuine pride in her role. She consistently goes above and beyond to support anyone in her care and demonstrates unwavering dedication both to the people she serves and to her organisation.
The Home Care Worker Award
Zoe Beck, Premier Community
Zoe supports people in their own homes with dedication and compassion. She has undertaken additional training to better understand specific conditions, enhancing her confidence and ability to recognise individual needs. This enables her to provide personalised, effective support, ensuring each person receives care tailored to their unique requirements.
Joanne Allgood, Libertas HBRS
Joanne works in a re-enablement service, supporting people following hospital discharge with compassion and exceptional communication skills. She is highly attuned to non-verbal cues, which instils confidence and trust in those she supports. Her approach empowers individuals to follow guidance effectively, resulting in improved outcomes and enhanced independence.
The Care Home Newcomer Award
Holly Turner, Making Space
Holly is a warm, caring person who always gives 100% to her clients and genuinely loves making a difference. She takes the time to build strong, meaningful relationships with everyone she works with. Her dedication, kindness, and consistent commitment to personalised support make her an outstanding and highly valued caregiver.
Charlotte Whitehead, Allington Healthcare
Charlotte is deeply passionate about supporting the people she works with. She consistently goes above and beyond for both residents and staff, always offering help, encouragement, and compassion. She is committed to improving herself personally and professionally, actively seeking extra training to enhance her skills and deliver the highest standard of care.
The Home Care Newcomer Award
Megan Morris, Premier Community
In her reflection, Megan demonstrated profound dedication and empathy in her caregiving. She highlighted the importance of holistic, compassionate care and the value of strong teamwork, collaborating with colleagues, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders to ensure the best outcomes for service users. Her proactive approach to training and continuous development reflects her commitment to growth and excellence in the care sector. Overall, her dedication and in-depth understanding of the role make her an exemplary figure in the field.
Robyn Hourd, Radfield Home Care Derby
Robyn has demonstrated remarkable resilience and compassion throughout her journey. Despite facing significant personal losses, she returned to the care sector with unwavering dedication. Her commitment to supporting others is evident in her proactive approach to professional growth and her heartfelt care for service users. She truly embodies the spirit of empathy and teamwork in every aspect of her role.
The Care Home Registered Manager Award
Carley Calder, Anchor
Carley stands out as an exceptional leader who truly makes a difference in people’s lives. She inspires through action, arranging initiatives like a charity climb up Snowdon. Carley leads by example, values collaboration, and actively listens to diverse perspectives, creating a positive, inclusive environment that empowers her team.
Salv Tuzze, Exemplar
Salv brings a wealth of knowledge to his role, using it to create meaningful life experiences and a homely environment for those he supports. His innovative thinking shines through in transforming spaces into engaging settings like a grocery store, post office, and pub, enriching everyday living.
The Home Care Registered Manager Award
Angela Stewart, NurtureCare Ltd
Angela’s unwavering compassion and dedication left a lasting impression, bringing comfort and compassion to all the young lives and families that she supports. Her experience and dedication to the sector is formidable with true admiration for her passion, standing out as an exceptional and influential leader.
Samantha Horne, Serve
A truly inspiring manager with service users at the heart of everything they do, with a keen vision for innovation and continuous improvement, inspiring and motivating her team. Her dedication and forward-thinking approach create a culture where staff feel empowered and the quality of care continues to excel.
The Dignity in Care Award
Danielle Dean, NurtureCare Ltd
Danielle’s work is exceptional, addressing the complexities of each client’s diagnosis and care needs while upholding dignity, cultural sensitivities, and respect for religious beliefs. She builds trusted relationships with families, delivers wrap-around care alongside multidisciplinary teams, and consistently demonstrates loyalty, compassion, and a commitment to safety and person-centred care.
Sharon Hardwick, Ashdene Care Home
Sharon, as team leader, ensures residents’ dignity is central to care, delivering personalised plans with choice, respect, and kindness while involving families. She brings joy through activities like sing-alongs, fundraisers for Alzheimer’s charity, and daily warmth, creating a happy, inclusive home. Her compassion, humour, and big heart shine through in all she does.
The Dementia Carer Award
Angela Hadley, Kara Healthcare
Angela is a hugely passionate and compassionate lady who clearly loves what she does. Though humble, describing herself as “only a housekeeper,” she makes a real difference at Park House. A constant in residents’ daily lives, she engages them in routines, supporting them to live their best lives with love and care. Never change Angela, you are amazing.
Mercy Kembo, Macc Care Group
Mercy has dedicated her life to caring, bringing a wealth of experience and unwavering compassion to the residents she supports. Her passion for delivering the highest standard of care is clear, always striving to ensure residents live their best lives with dignity, respect, and warmth. Well done Mercy.
The Ancillary Worker Award
Dawn Williams, Exemplar
Dawn exemplifies the very best of person-centred ancillary care. Her initiative, compassion, and dedication shine through every interaction. She consistently goes above and beyond, delivering personalised support with dignity and respect. Client feedback highlights her outstanding impact, and her thoughtful initiatives have truly enhanced the lives of those she supports.
Louise Davies, Strong Life Care
Louise demonstrates exceptional commitment to personalised, dignified support. Her reliability, warmth, and initiative consistently enhance the experiences of those she supports. Client feedback highlights the meaningful difference she makes, reflecting her dedication and positive influence. Her willingness to go above and beyond, combined with compassion and professionalism, makes her a truly deserving and outstanding nominee.
The Care Home Activities Organiser Award
Lucy Warren, Ralphland Care Home
A passionate activity coordinator who transforms lives through person-centered care, dedication and passion. She chose this role to spend meaningful time with residents. Her innovative approach includes social media engagement, and her remarkable dedication helped a bed-bound resident overcome anxiety to venture outside, demonstrating her profound impact.
Ildiko Peach, Midand Care Home
An exceptionally dedicated activity coordinator who leads a team serving 66 residents with individualized, culturally-sensitive care. Her persistence and compassion shine through remarkable achievements, including reuniting a married couple separated between care homes. She maintains meticulous documentation, earning praise from PAMMS inspectors, while fostering community continuously.
The Home Care Co-ordinator Award
Gemma Singleton, Premier Community
Gemma is the type of person you meet who just makes life better. She considers actions and ensures that her people, clients and staff, are at the heart of what she does. She told me about a specific care package and how they came together to improve the quality of life for a client and it shows the complexity and how a group can make real change.
Harriet Grant, LJM Homecare
Harriet operates responsive calls linked to the care line, often attending during early hours. Harriet shared a story of being asked to inform a wife of her husband’s passing, highlighting her sensitivity and professionalism. She also supports complex care cases, such as assisting clients during holidays when families are away. This is the epitome of trust.
The Care Home Cook/Chef Award
Amy Hazeldine, Coxbench Hall Ltd
Amy’s love for her job shines brightly in everything she does. When she speaks about her passion for cooking and the joy she finds in spending time with the residents, it’s clear that her work is more than just a role- it’s a heartfelt connection. The warmth she brings helps create a true sense of family within the home, making everyone feel valued and cared for.
Sallyann Anderson, Welford Healthcare
Sallyann has been a driving force in enhancing dementia care, leading the implementation of a virtual experience for staff to help them better understand the dining experience from the perspective of those living with dementia. This innovative approach enables staff to recognise both positive and negative practices, ultimately improving mealtime interactions. Sallyann also regularly meets with residents and their families to ensure individual needs and preferences are met, making sure everyone receives the food they both need and enjoy. Her commitment to person-centred care and continuous improvement is truly commendable.
The Care Home Team Award
The Team, The Rainbow Care Group Leicestershire
This team managed to make ageing sound fun. Their goal is to ensure dignity, engagement, and inclusion right to the end, and to keep people at home with their families (where they belong) for as long as humanly possible.
Whether it’s a hug (or a nerf-gun fight) they are always working together to give the people they support exactly what they need.
Burlington Nursing Wing, Burlington Court Care Home
This team stop at nothing to preserve dignity in later life and to ensure people don’t feel alone at the end of life. They strive to see the people they care for as humans first – not risks – and to bring out the best in every member of staff they employ.
The Home Care Team Award
MAK Community Care
This team delivers exceptional, person-centred care through shared vision, strong leadership, and seamless collaboration. Their trust, communication, and mutual respect create a supportive environment where every member shines. They prioritise dignity, involve families, embrace learning, and consistently go above and beyond, truly setting the standard for outstanding home care teamwork.
ENA Homecare Services
This team demonstrates impressive unity, communication, and commitment to person-centred care. They work collaboratively, respect each other’s strengths, and maintain high morale while prioritising dignity and privacy. Their dedication to learning, growth, and continuous improvement shines through, making them a truly deserving nominee in this category.
The Care Innovator Award
Wellbeing Team, Home From Home Care
This team have set up “Babygo”, a network for staff, after a staff member voiced concerns around keeping in touch during her pregnancy. This has been a huge success, keeping people in touch within the company and providing support and reassurance. Since its creation, it has led to greater staff retention which ultimately benefits everyone. They are looking to expand to include a network for staff who have children with additional needs.
Andy Barnes, Godfrey Care
Andy is the CEO of a company that are enabling people with extreme complex needs to live in their own bespoke homes, with great success. This has led to better outcomes for those people supported as well as a reduction in care package costs to commissioners in the longer term.
The Frontline Leaders Award
Lisa Duffy, MacIntyre
Lisa Duffy, Service Manager at MacIntyre’s Chesterfield branch, exemplifies outstanding frontline leadership through her dedication to continuous improvement and innovation. She consistently embraces change, exploring new ways to enhance care and improve outcomes for those she supports. Lisa’s smiling, bubbly yet highly professional personality makes her approachable and trusted, helping to forge a positive culture where collaboration, creativity, and high standards thrive. This supportive environment is reflected in her team’s success, with two members recently receiving internal awards. Compassionate, visionary, and driven, Lisa leads by example, ensuring person-centred care and excellence remain at the heart of all she does.
Mujtaba Zahid, Ivolve Care & Support
At just 22, Mujtaba Zahid, Registered Manager at Ivolve Care & Support, is an inspiring example of how passion, purpose, and continuous learning can lead to impactful leadership. Progressing to management in only four years, he leads with a deeply humanistic approach, personal involvement, and a relentless focus on enhancing lives. A respected ambassador for his community, Mujtaba champions opportunity and positive change, inspiring others to aim high. By motivating his team to innovate, collaborate, and deliver empathetic care, he fosters a culture of excellence and demonstrates that young leadership is both achievable and transformative.
The Care Assessor/ Planner Award
Andy Fairman, Godfrey Care
Andy exemplifies excellence in assessment and personalised care planning. His meticulous approach, combined with deep respect for individual preferences, ensures every client receives truly tailored support. He collaborates seamlessly with colleagues, prioritise continuity, and uses regular reviews to adapt care effectively. His commitment to person-centred practice makes him an outstanding nominee.
Hellena Kambadza, HK- Care Consultancy Ltd Leicester
Hellena shows impressive dedication to delivering personalised, well-planned care. Her thorough assessments, collaborative approach, and focus on continuity ensure clients feel supported and understood. She adapts care through regular reviews and works effectively within her team, demonstrating strong person-centred values that make her a truly deserving nominee.
The Three R’s Award
Molly Price, Premier Community
Molly leads a values‑based, recruitment approach. This approach is honest about the role and provides exemplary wellbeing support with an open‑door culture, Mental Health First Aiders and access to the Wisdom app. She does all of this while inspiring others through her journey from apprentice to recruitment leader.
Nitesh Somani, Kara Healthcare
Nitesh champions values‑based recruitment that “hires happy people,” and powers retention through the Kara Training Academy where colleagues are supported to bring their dreams to work. Nitesh and Kara Healthcare recognise excellence via “Oscar of the Month” and memorable rewards. The team maintain open “care & share” communications with wellbeing support and mental‑health champions in every service.
The Workforce Development Award
Kelly Borisova, Macc Care Group
Kelly has a uniquely humanistic view on all aspects of a person’s journey through their working life. Her insight into what a person needs to feel part of a team, is clearly the route of a culture that nurtures new staff and recognises the need to keep the team invested.
James Punch, IBC Healthcare
James simply lives care and understanding for those he supports. Through lived experience and innovative thinking, James not only enables understanding but inspires it. His dedication, empathy, and ability to lead by example positively influence colleagues and the wider community, raising standards and making a meaningful difference every day.
The Putting People First Award
Elenoa Robanakadav, Solsken Ltd
Elenoa has a level of understanding in the sector that is something you don’t see very often. Elenoa is knowledgeable, caring, compassionate and dedicated to her clients and their relatives. Elenoa demonstrates empathy and a high level of attention to detail that ensures her service users’ needs are not only listened to but met every time. Her commitment to her role is simply outstanding.
Alan Ward, Macintyre
Alan’s commitment to the project and the local community is truly inspiring. From supporting learners to reaching out to isolated members of the borough, his dedication shines through. He has built strong local links, positively impacting lives and demonstrating outstanding leadership, care, and a genuine passion for making a difference.
The Palliative Carer Award
Rodel Uy, Burlington Court Care Home
This nominee demonstrates exceptional leadership and compassion in end-of-life care. With 13 years of nursing experience, they have transformed a 19-bed unit into a specialist, person-centred environment where residents’ wishes are respected and meaningful lives are prioritised. Their advocacy, holistic approach, and dedication to family involvement create truly dignified outcomes. Through teamwork, training, and emotional support for staff, they set a benchmark for excellence in palliative care, making a profound and lasting difference to those in their care.
Gill Smith, Welford Care Ltd
This nominee demonstrates outstanding compassion and professionalism as a Senior Carer, providing dignified, person-centred end-of-life care. They build trusting relationships with families, advocate for residents, and lead their team sensitively. Their dedication ensures meaningful, peaceful final days, exemplifying exceptional care and setting a benchmark for excellence in social care.
The Social Care Nurse Award
Evelyn Maina, Langdale Care Homes
The judges were deeply impressed by Evelyn’s passion and determination to deliver high quality, compassionate, person-centred care. Her unwavering commitment to her team and the genuine pride she takes in their shared achievements truly stood out.
Clair Blanchard, Home from Home Care
The judges were impressed by Clair’s commitment to learning to secure meaningful outcomes for those in her care. The steps taken to support individuals to live their best lives were heartwarming.
The Co-Production Award
Sue Escourt, Macc Community Care
Sue’s commitment to co-production, compassionate transitions, and genuine collaboration sets her apart. She champions resident and family voices, creates seamless, personalised admissions, and turns insight into meaningful action. Her leadership strengthens communication, trust, and community, making her an exceptional nominee who transforms experiences from the very first moment of care.
The Outstanding Contribution to Social Care Award
Nitesh Somani, Kara Healthcare
Nitesh has made a remarkable and lasting contribution to social care. His unwavering dedication, visionary leadership, and innovative approach have transformed practice and improved countless lives. His influence extends far beyond his role, leaving an enduring legacy of compassion, progress, and excellence- truly exemplifying the spirit of this special award.
Sharron Roberts, Ashgate Care
Sharron has demonstrated exceptional dedication and influence within social care. Her commitment, leadership, and innovative thinking have made a meaningful impact on the people she supports and the wider sector. Her contributions continue to inspire others and exemplify the values celebrated in this prestigious award.
