On Friday 11th October the Palace Hotel, Manchester provided a spectacular backdrop for the finals of the Great North West Care Awards, where the nineteen category winners were announced.
The Great North 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 North 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 nineteen 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 Shaun Williamson, better known as Barry from Eastenders, and 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 Workers 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 North 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 North 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 North West Care Awards, together with the judges comments are detailed below:
The Care Employer Award – Community Integrated Care
The judges found this incredibly difficult category to decide on and all the finalists are to be congratulated for the fantastic work they do! Community Integrated Care gave a strong sense of values running all the way through the organisation. Reflection and feedback are welcomed and encouraged and help drive innovation and continuous improvement.
The Care Home Worker Award – Christine Cundall – Community Integrated Care
Christine has demonstrated that she is an exceptional carer with the ability to see past dementia and see the real person. Christine believed you can train people but you can’t make a carer. She is a true carer – well done Christine!
The Home Care Worker Award – Gillian Cumstey – Direct Health
A gifted individual who has selflessly given her time and skills to enhance the lives of those she supports. Gillian possesses a unique range of quality and skills being unaware of the impact on the lives she touches.
The Care Newcomer Award – Jamie Anderson – Direct Health
A dedicated and passionate individual that has made personal sacrifices to enter the sector. Jamie is a gifted and selfless carer boasting a unique range of qualities and skills and appreciating the importance of training and transferrable skills.
The Care Home Registered Manager Award – Michelle Phillips – Community Integrated Care
Michelle wants to make a difference. She recruits from a feeling based approach and invests heavily in training. Michelle is very supportive and treats everyone as an individual. Her reward is the smiles on their faces! Congratulations Michelle, a worthy winner!
The Home Care Registered Manager Award – Nicolla Bishop – Home Angels Chorley
A great big personality with a great person centred heart! Nicolla’s enthusiasm and passion to provide quality care for people with dementia is inspirational. Congratulations Nicolla!
The Nutrition & Hydration Award – Janette Holt – Springhill Care
You may feel that a gentle, demure lady is approaching…re-think, Janette brings sparkle and challenge to the lives of her residents by introducing the party into everyday events!
The Dignity in Care Award – Adrienne Ratcliffe – Community Integrated Care
Adrienne’s energy and enthusiasm for promoting dignity shone through. She is a great ambassador not just for dignity but raising standards and embracing person centred care. Her dedicated approach has impacted on the residents with dignity, independence and choice being at the forefront of everything she does.
The Dementia Carer Award – Lucinda Filipe – Warren Care Ltd
Lucy is born to care, she sees past the illness to look at the person. She makes a shared community in people’s homes and is an in demand carer because she really does care. It was a pleasure to meet Lucy and she is a well deserved winner!
The Care Team Award – Marley Court Care Home – Millennium Care UK Ltd
A very accomplished and dedicated team who provide a very friendly and caring environment to all residents and staff. Marley Court put people at the heart of everything and it was very clear to see their passion and enthusiasm in everything they do.
The Care Home Activity Organiser Award – Lesley Quigley – Amore Care
Lesley has an enthusiastic personality and an abundance of original activity ideas based on spontaneity and person centred care. An outstanding candidate who deserves this award! Well done Lesley!
The Ancillary Worker Award – Pamela Gore – Alzheimer’s Society
Pamela understands the needs, importance of listening and creating normality for the people she supports. She likes to ‘spark a memory’ and having a laugh is the best tonic for her and her service users.
The Care Trainer Award – Stephen Smith & Dawn Sweeney – Cheshire West and Chester Council
Steve and Dawn quite simply encompassed and demonstrated every aspect of the care trainer category. They are passionate, inspiring, funny, encouraging an knowledgeable which makes them the ideal winners! Well done!
The Care Innovator Award – Tracy Fielding – Your Life, Your Way
Tracy displayed great leadership and introduced many innovative ideas which greatly enhance the live of service users. A well deserved winner, congratulations Tracy!
The Frontline Leaders Award – Victoria Beardsworth – Affinity Supporting People
Victoria has a great deal of passion for both the individuals he service supports but also the team she manages. Her ability to lead by example has created a reliable and efficient team.
The Home Care Co-ordinator Award – Mark Bushell – Home Instead Senior Care
Mark’s ethos is happy staff equals happy clients. His organised approach to co-ordination and open door policy has ensured a higher than average staff retention and excellent service delivery.
The Putting People First Award – Roger Fenton – Cheshire West & Chester Council
Roger demonstrated real leadership qualities and was extremely passionate about the work of the team. The approach to partnership and agency cross working was an example of best practice an the values driving the team were incredibly strong and inspiring.
Angela Davies – Cheshire West & Chester Council
Angela identified a National issue with recruitment in the care sector and now works tirelessly to not only increase the awareness of the sector but help with unemployment issues within her region.
After liaising with local employers she discovered that people apply for jobs in the sector with little knowledge of what is actually involved and people are often put off working in care due to the image of the sector. She then spoke to Job centre Plus locally who identified that there was a high number of unfilled care vacancies on their system.
Working with local employers, Angela designed taster sessions and a two week care sector specific pre-employment course which incorporated level one Preparing to Work in Adult Social Care with the intention that individuals could get a much better idea regarding what working in the care sector was like and also gain a nationally recognised qualification.
Feedback from participants has included comments about how much has been learned, how enjoyable the course was, how it has increased confidence, how it has changed hearts and minds regarding working in the sector and it has furnished people with the necessary skills and knowledge to enter into the sector.
Employers have recruited individuals from the course and have given positive feedback regarding this as well as being involved in the delivery of the course by coming in to talk to learners about jobs and the work they do.
Through working in partnership, excellent teaching and mentoring skills and thinking outside the box Angela has developed and delivered a highly successful training course which will benefit the sector and increase the quality of care within the communities.
I am sure you will all agree this is a fantastic contribution to the sector so please put your hands together for Angela – well done!