Friday 31st October saw over 500 of the very best in social care attended a glittering awards ceremony at the National Railway Museum, York, for the finals of the Great Yorkshire & Humber Care Awards, where the category winners were announced.
The Great Yorkshire & Humber Care Awards, sponsored by Specsavers Healthcall, in association with Access Health & Social Care and the Royal Bank of Scotland, brought together the category finalists from across the Yorkshire & Humber region.
The awards are part of the Great British Care Awards, a series of 9 regional awards celebrating excellence across the care sector. The purpose of the awards is to promote best practice within both home care and care homes sectors, and pay tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work.
Sector support includes the Department of Health, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), Alzheimer’s Society, National Skills Academy for Social Care and the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) as well as local authorities and commercial organisations.
There are a total of twenty 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, and specialist care in areas such as dementia and innovation.
The gala awards evening started in style with a drinks reception, followed by a superb gourmet dinner with some surprise entertainment throughout. The awards were presented by entertainer Steve Walls with a surprise appearance of Stavros Flatley from Britain’s Got Talent fame.
The awards support a chosen charity, The Care Workers Charity, the registered charity for the care sector that support current, former and retired care professionals by providing assistance to relieve financial hardship or sickness and also provide advice and guidance on the availability of state support and links with debt counsellors.
Jayne Rawlinson, director of business developmentof Specsavers Healthcall said:
“Specsavers Healthcall is proud to support the Great British Care Awards. It’s important to recognise and celebrate the incredible dedication of people working in the social care sector. Without them some of the most vulnerable people in our society would be far worse off.”
Paul Patarou, divisional manager, Health & Social Care Division, Access Group, said:
“As sponsors of the Great British Care Awards, it’s a great honour for Access Group to be involved in the judging process. With so many fantastic entries it’s clear to see the talent that abounds in the health and social care sector. The Awards provide an opportunity to recognise the hard work and dedication of everyone in the industry from volunteer carers and front line care staff right through to their colleagues who administer and manage the organisation. Working within Access’ dedicated Health and Social Division I often see first-hand the passion and commitment displayed by these incredible individuals; they’re truly are a credit to their industry.”
Bryn Bates, healthcare relationship director at Royal Bank of Scotland said:
“We are delighted to continue our support for The Great British Care Awards in 2014, a great avenue of celebrating the hard work and successes of care across the country. Our support for these Awards is just one way RBS reinforces its’ commitment to the Care sector and those that work within it.”
Lisa Carr, director of the Great British Care Awards said:
“The Great British Care Awards are now in their sixth year and are continuing to go from strength to strength. We never cease to be amazed with the quality of nominations and this year is no exception. The two new categories, The Good Nurse Award and The Arco Housing With Care Award, have also proved very popular, demonstrating the significance of integration between health, housing and social care.
“This evening was a true celebration for the unsung heroes of social care, without whom quality care provision in our communities would fail.”
Winners of the Great Yorkshire & Humber Care Awards will go through to one of two national finals for both care home and home care. The finals will take place at The ICC Birmingham in April and June 2015.
The winners of the Great British Yorkshire & Humber Care Awards, together with the judge’s comments are detailed below:
The Care Employer Award
Jo Morris – Woodleigh Community Care
We selected Woodleigh as the winner because they are an exemplary company which is truly person centred. It invests in staff and people who use their services. As Jo says “success to me is seeing service users achieve their ambitions and being happy and a happy workforce, we can’t have one without the other”
The Care Home Worker Award
Robert Mcintyre – Community Integrated Care
In a very close group Robert was the unanimous choice. His enthusiasm and passion for his residents was particularly seen in the fact that he has consistently turned down promotion so that he can remain hands on.
The Home Care Worker Award
Suzzanne Smith – Craven Home Care
Suzzanne is a very caring and compassionate lady who provides sincere care and support in such a way that promotes positive experiences and outcomes to the people that she supports. In her own time Suzzanne spends time researching the conditions that her service users manage. This has allowed Suzzanne to adapt and understand the individuals needs and provide the support and care they need. Suzanne recognises that is it the little things that makes the biggest difference – always providing personal choice. Suzzanne is a fantastic ambassador for the care sectors.
The Care Newcomer Award
Holly Conway – Anchor Trust
Holly’s modesty belies the fact that she a rising star and her passion for learning will be of benefit to all those she cares for.
The Care Home Registered Manager Award
Lesley Fisher – Options Group
Person centred and passionate about enabling the people she supports to have independent and fulfilling lives. Lesley has adopted a proactive approach for care provision ensuring her service users participate fully in the service. She has created a warm culture for staff, family and members of the local community. An inspirational individual!
The Home Care Registered Manager Award
Ben Whittaker – Direct Health
Ben started his career as the office cleaner 15 years ago and progressed to registered manager. Through his excellent leadership skills he has motivated and managed his team to ensure his branch is recognised as a vital part of the community it serves.
The Home Care Coordinator Award
Lisa Wright – Complete Care West Yorkshire
Lisa is a committed and supportive co-ordinator that always has time for her team. She embraces new ideas and technology for the benefit of both her team and the people they support. Always looking for ways to deliver the best service possible that’s personalised for the individual. Lisa leads from the front and is a great role model for her team and the care sector.
The Nutrition & Hydration Award
Diane Cressey – Mosaic Care Homes
Diane impressed the judges with her individual person centred approach to her residents food needs. Her focus on seasonal , fresh produce and attention to detail considered with her presentation style makes Diane a very worthy winner. Congratulations Diane
The Dignity in Care Award
Louise Jackson – Direct Health
An extremely energetic, encouraging and passionate individual who promotes the values of dignity in her everyday life. She learns from others around her and applies that learning. A true ambassador.
The Dementia Carer Award
Caroline Winspear – TLC Homecare Ltd
Caroline clearly applies her problem solving and practical approach to supporting people with dementia in a person-centred way.
The Care Team Award
Brookyln Team – HC-One Ltd
The empathy, commitment and dedication shone through from the start. Brooklands were unanimous in the judges scoring gaining full marks. Leigh and her colleagues are the epitome of the real unsung heroes of social care.
The Care Home Activity Organiser
David Griffin – Hatzfeld Care Ltd
A passionate dynamic individual who is always looking to develop opportunities for people to try out. Driven and self motivated is able to bring about positive and meaningful activities for people recovering from severe and enduring mental illness.
The Ancillary Worker Award
Nicola Akehurst – Hatzfeld Care ltd
Nicola’s passion is inspirational. She has gone far and above the requirements of her role for the benefit of the residents she works for. This has given her a new lease of life in her personal life as well.
The Putting People First Award
Care Dynamics Yorkshire
This was an inspiring group to judge but the deciding factor in our decision was how impressed we were that this organisation offers people a choice which means they have the same care they would get if they could employ their own staff. Impressive and innovative.
The Care Trainer Award
Mandy Baxter- TLC Homecare
Mandy Eats, Sleeps and breaths learning. Her dedication to individual learners is inspirational. Mandy wore the judges out with her get up and go. Truly a valuable asset to her organisation.
The Care Innovator Award
Projects Team – Woodleigh Care
The Projects team demonstrated a genuine and sincere interest in providing a range of occupational and learning facilities to service users who would be otherwise excluded.
The Frontline Leaders Award
Beverly Hallowes – Eden Futures
Care, compassion, empathy, positivity and passion shone through. She puts people at the heart of all she does. A real shining example of caring at it’s best.
The Arco Housing with Care Award
Helen Hall -Signature
Helens passion and enthusiasm was second to none. Demonstrating she puts the customer always at the heart of services and creating an environment which provides a warm and welcoming home that members and their families enjoy.
The Good Nurse Award
Ewa Jaskolka – Horizon Care Homes
Eva showed great passion for delivering nursing care. Leading her team from the front Eva puts the residents at the heart of all care provision. She tries to put herself in their shoes and is full of empathy. Nursing is a dream for Eva that she is fulfilling beautifully.