Winners of the Great East Midlands Care Awards 2010 announced (Part 1)

On Saturday 16th October the East Midlands Conference Centre, provided a spectacular backdrop for the finals of the second Great East Midlands Care Awards, where the seventeen category winners were announced.

The Great East Midlands Care Awards, supported by the Department of Health and HET Software, 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 East Midlands 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. Caring UK magazine is the media partner.

There were a total of seventeen awards 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 demntia and innovation.

Nominations came in from all corners of the sector and the region and successful candidates invited for interview for infront of a panel of sector experts. The gala award evening started in style with a champagne reception, followed by a superb gourmet dinner and the awards presentation with Cheryl Baker from Bucks Fizz fame 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 May and June 2011 at the prestigious Royal Courts of Justice in London.

The awards support a chosen charity, The Maggie’s Centre, which has sites across the country, including Nottingham, supporting people who lives have been impacted upon by cancer.

In addition an auction for the Care Professionals Benevolent Fund was held - the prize, a jeroboam of French rose wine 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 East Midlands Care Awards for the second time. The care awards are goning 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 East Midlands 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 East Midlands Care Awards, together with the judges comments are detailed below: The Care Employer Award Church Farm Nursing Home – Cotgrave – Nottingham

How refreshing it was to hear about a real person centred approach to provide care. It was clear to see the passion and enthusiasm of the manager of the home and how a real difference had been made to the quality of people lives.

The Care Home Worker Award Emma Herring – Morton Grange – Alfreton - Nottingham

Emma clearly uses the training opportunities she has accessed as a way of informing and improving her practice. The fact that she enjoys working with those with a dementia disability and sees one to one time as important impressed the judges.

The Home Care Worker Angela Parker – Percurra Ltd – West Brigford - Nottingham

The judges unanimously choose Angela as we felt she had got what it takes to be a excellent Home Care Worker. Angela’s responses came from her heart. She demonstrated in a very personable way all the qualities you would want from somebody providing personal support and care in the home. She talked about people who had lost faith in the care they had received. Angela was the best example out of a group of excellent home Care Workers.

The Care Newcomer Award Oliver Rutherford – Oaklands Community Centre - Derby

At the age of just 19 Oliver has embraced the opportunities at Oaklands. He is highly motivated, enthusiastic and driven to make a difference to the lives of others. Oliver is hungry to learn and improve his knowledge to provide an even better service serve. A true inspiration!

The Care Home Registered Manager Award Anna Golightly – MHA Care Group - Derby

After a quiet start, Anna impressed by her humanity, her imagination, empathy and her well organised approach to a complex set of tasks. Her confidence and passion for the work became increasingly obvious throughout our meeting culminating in the statement “I am the best manager I know.”

The Home Care Registered Manager Heather Cave – Radis – Hatton, Derby

Heather impressed the judges – as an experienced manager, with a positive attitude who readily wants to make a difference. She was shocked on hearing of her nomination – Heather said “I came into the industry to put something back; - on reflection I felt honoured”. The judges especially want to encourage all shortlisted candidates to try again – almost too close to call!!