The Great British North East Care Awards 2020 Nominations
Awards season is upon us! Once again, we are delighted to be receiving recognition from The Great British North East Care Awards. This year, we are extremely proud to have four nominations, with three of those nominations already being shortlisted.
Our staff work extremely hard without any expectation of accolade, but we know it means a lot to them when their hard work is recognised.
Dawn McNally, our Chief Executive, was thrilled to be able to praise these staff saying “So incredibly proud of you all and fantastic recognition for the work that you do, many congratulations and good luck!”
Kerry Parker
Home Care Registered Manager Award
Shortlisted
Kerry Parker is not only a talented and professional Home Care Registered Manager, she is the Head of Service for our organisation and is second to none. To say she is hardworking and dedicated is an understatement, Kerry is unstoppable!
Kerry fronts a service for customers that strives to be the best, providing a person-centred approach to care delivery, and to recruit and train personal support staff to the highest standard. Kerry demonstrates excellent leadership skills and knows exactly how to get the job done. She expects her team to work together and to react to change in an organised and structured way for the benefit of our customers and staff. She works tirelessly to implement best practice, producing guidelines and standard operating procedures throughout the service. Kerry has developed a structure for staff development, inductions, training, appraisals and talent management within the staffing team. She is determined to bring out the best in people, pushing for the best outcome for our customers and always encouraging others to be proactive and confident in their approach.
When the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic gripped the country earlier this year, the response from Kerry was immediate, implementing robust infection control regimes within all areas of the service. Kerry developed plans of action, a daily tracking system of any changes to services and partnership working with the local authority. It’s been a difficult time for customers having to isolate and Kerry has been instrumental in providing and encouraging new technology to help bring people together in different ways. This has worked really well.
To sum up, Kerry is a people person who leads from the front and will never back away. She is inspiring and wants the best for everyone in the service. She truly deserves recognition for her constant efforts and dedication
Michael Caithness
Home Care Worker Award
Shortlisted
He is very kind, caring and thoughtful with his customers and also with the staff he works with. The customers see Michael as a ray of sunshine and even more so in the last few months when they have been locked down due to COVID-19. Michael goes above and beyond what is requested from him in his day to day role. Michael kept everyone’s spirits up and realised that some customers needed more support as they had no family to support them so he would do little errands for the customer in the extra care scheme where he works, this was doing things like collecting prescriptions, getting a newspaper, or just being someone to talk to in a very worrying time. Michael does far more than is stated in his contract but nothing ever seems to be a bother for him and I feel he should be recognised for being the lovely person he is.
Clare Robb
Care Newcomer Award
Shortlisted
Clare is a relatively new member of the team in the wellbeing centres and she has proven to be a dedicated team member and works great with staff and the customers. Clare was new to care work and was looking to get into care as she thought this would be a rewarding role. Clare also agreed to work for the domiciliary care team in our company along with working hours in the wellbeing centres. Clare had no previous experience in care but her nature and personality shone through at the interview and she has proven in the last 10 months that she definitely has a caring nature. Clare always goes that extra mile to ensure her customers are happy and are aware of all the services that are offered within the organisation. Clare is hardworking, reliable, empathetic and has a good understanding of the needs of others. Clare is keen to progress and learn new skills to broaden her knowledge and enhance her chance of climbing the ladder in the organisation. I do think she will do well in her future.
Cath Alderson
Home Carer Award
Nominated
Cath has worked for EveryDay Care & Support since 2011 providing good quality services to customers living in their own homes in the Whitley Bay area. She began caring for Sallie in Jan 2017 providing four calls per day for personal care, medication and meals. Sallie had suffered a previous stroke which left her with right-sided weakness and she was unable to weight bear. She needed two staff at all times for transferring. Cath was her main carer who was allocated to her calls five days per week also covering her on a night time.
Cath built up an excellent relationship with Sallie and her daughter Christine. Over the years Sallie’s needs increased due to deterioration in her health and mobility and Cath was always there to work with Sallie ensuring she received the best care and support available.
From December 2019 Sallie was admitted in and out of the hospital a number of times and each time she came home she was weaker than the previous time. Cath worked alongside district nurses and occupational therapists, meeting them at Sallie’s home prior to discharge to ensure new equipment was fully in place for her return home.
However, in late January 2020, Sallie was to return home for the last time as it was her wish to die at home. Overnight sits were requested for Sallie so she had someone with her at all times. Her family were with her throughout the day but needed support throughout the night.
Cath was the first person I rang to ask if she would consider looking after Sallie overnight. Cath’s reply to me was “I would love to, it would be an honour.”
Cath looked after Sallie in her last days of life in her own home giving her the best quality care she could. Cath showed dignity, respect, empathy and pure dedication to Sallie and her family at a very difficult time.
Cath is a credit to EveryDay Care & Support and an inspiration to others. She has shown what caring for someone at home in their last days of life all is about.
Cath certainly went the extra mile for Sallie (giving up her days off to look after her) and I hope she will be recognised for this.