More than 40 of Plymouth’s best and most dedicated care workers and teams were honoured at an awards ceremony last weekend.
The Celebrating Excellence in Care Awards is run by Plymouth City Council’s Commissioning Team and aims to shine a light on the incredible work taking place every day within the adult social care sector.
A range of award categories recognise people working in all areas of the sector, including those based in care homes, supported living provision, day centres and domiciliary care (supporting people to remain living in their own homes).
Councillor Mary Aspinall, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said: “I’d like to congratulate every single one of our winners and say a big well done to everyone who was nominated. The work you do is so important and often underappreciated.
“These awards are a fantastic opportunity for us to shine a light on all the hard work that takes place every single day across the city to make sure adults with care needs are supported, looked after and helped to live fulfilling, healthy lives.”
Nominations for the awards opened earlier this year and more than 400 were received from employers, colleagues, adult social care clients and their families. The nominations were then reviewed by an independent panel of judges who chose the winners.
The full list of award winners is:
- Deputy of the Year (Domiciliary Care): Tendai Madume, Indiana Healthcare Services
- Highly Commended: Kimberly Tucker, Your Choice Care and support
- Manager of the Year (Domiciliary Care): Rebecca Pannell, @PlymouthCare
- Highly Commended: Emma Bonney, Prestige Healthcare
- Nurse of the Year (Domiciliary Care): Vanessa Schaben, Prestige Nursing and Care
- Team of the Year (Domiciliary Care): Tamar Care
- Highly Commended: @PlymouthCare
- Care Worker of the Year (Domiciliary Care): Rafie Sodiq, Indiana Healthcare Services
- Highly Commended: Arron Marley, @PlymouthCare
- Care Worker of the Year (Day Services): Fiona James, Tamar Homecare
- Highly Commended: Holly Ewings, Alpha Care
- Care Worker of the Year (Supported Living): Katie Bartlett, Achieve Together
- Care Worker of the Year (Care Home): Deepak Barnes, Greenacres Care Centre
- Highly Commended: Aleisha Smith, Chatsworth Home
- Deputy of the Year (Care Home): Sarah McCaffrey, Butterfly Lodge Dementia Home
- Highly Commended: Hayley Cook, Astor Hall Care Home
- Manager of the Year (Care Home): Jamie Graham, Abbeyfield Tamar House
- Highly Commended: Marie Claire, Seymour Court Nursing Home
- Nurse of the Year (Care Home): Ursula Sheriff, Darbyshire Care – Hamilton House
- Highly Commended: Jennifer Curtis, Meadowside and St Francis Care Centre
- Team of the Year (Care Home): Greenacres Care Home, Mannamead Care
- Highly Commended: Alpha Care SW
- Care Home Activity Coordinator: James Gooding, Devonshire House and Lodge
- Highly Commended: Catherine Britton, Merafield View Nursing Home
- Culinary Care Team: Phil Jane, Brunel House
- Highly Commended: Lottie Fisher, Merafield View Nursing Home
- Ancillary Worker of the Year: Kim Crook, Merafield View Nursing Home
- Highly Commended: Kristen Bradbury, Butterfly Lodge
- Commitment to Workforce Development: Gemma Parnell and Katie Spring, Alpha Care SW
- Highly Commended: Merafield View Nursing Home
- Contribution to Care: Kelly Hawkins, Prestige Nursing and Care
- Highly Commended: Lisa Willis, Merafield View Nursing Home
- Excellence in Dementia Care: Butterfly Lodge Dementia Home
- Excellence in Learning Disability Care: Allison Nicholls, Jan Ltd
- Highly Commended: Mark Peard, IOTA Care
- Excellence in End-of-life Care: Seymour Court Nursing Home
- Innovation in Technology: Leon Bulbin, Support’ed
- Innovative Partnership Working: Gillian Fordham, Seymour Court
- Promoting Independence Champion: Maggie Overill, Astor Hall
- Rising Star: Theresa Benjamin, Achieve Together
- Highly Commended: Lexie Witcher, Tamar House Abbeyfield
- Service User Involvement: Prestige Nursing & Care
- Service User Story: Ian Bullen, Prestige Nursing & Care
- Volunteer of the Year: Nicola Daniels, Jan Ltd
- People’s Choice Award – Care Home: Teresa Warren at Butterfly Lodge and Sally Hutchings, District Nurse team for care homes
- People’s Choice Award – Day Services: Plymouth Highbury Trust
- People’s Choice Award – Domiciliary Care: District Healthcare
- People’s Choice Award – Supported Living: John Knight, Highbury Trust.
The awards support the work of Caring Plymouth, a city-wide health and social care partnership, which works to address recruitment and retention challenges in adult social care. The partnership not only wants to encourage more people to work in the sector, but support and celebrate those already doing so.
If you’re interested in working in adult social care, find out more at www.plymouth.gov.uk/workincare.