The idea of creating an award to recognise the amazing work that care staff do is not something new to CareLineLive. Readers will know that each month we run our star carer of the month award which highlights the incredible work that our customers and their employees do. With this in mind we wanted to do something very special to end 2023 with a bang! Our MD Josh Hough and Marketing Manager Marie Page came up with the idea of a very special Star Carer of the Year Award, and what better way to do it than to celebrate care workers from all services across the sector.
WOW! What a response!
We’ve had a phenomenal response not only from CareLineLive customers but care staff have been nominated from several service types including residential care services, day centres and of course, home care and community services.
It’s a privilege
The judges have been in the very privileged position of reading every entry which has been the most humbling and joyful of experiences. To read about the depth of dedication, commitment and selflessness that we have in the industry is uplifting and shows clearly that care and support staff are a force to be reckoned with.
Here’s a selection of the wonderful words that have been shared with us:
‘He is a really good role model to our overseas staff. He supports them with knowledge from his own personal experiences and helps them to settle in well.’
‘She knows all the clients and families and regularly visits them to make sure their needs are being met. She remembers their likes, dislikes and interests and always engages them in in-depth conversations, giving them all a real lift in spirits. She is also an excellent manager, supporting the team at all times, especially helping them access well being services and looking after their mental health.’
‘I have seen clients who are at the end of their lives asking to be cared by her as they believe they will die peacefully if she were them.’
In reality, all of the nominees are winners and completely deserving of their nomination, but as ever it’s been a difficult choice to pick out the three finalists. We’ve deliberated and cogitated and finally have chosen the three lucky carers.
We hosted an online awards ceremony last week – you can see some of our finalists as well as the CareLineLive team in the screen shot below. Some of our Highly Commended finalists are showing their certificates.
Below is a recording of the ceremony:
Finalists
Ist prize winner – Jaspinder Singh from Primary Home Care based in Barham, Suffolk
Jaspinder wowed the judges with his dedication to his colleagues. At a time when recruitment and retention of care staff is at breaking point across the industry Jaspinder’s HR and Operations Manager, Julie Mills said, ‘Jaspinder is a really good role model to our overseas staff. He supports them with knowledge from his own personal experiences and helps them to settle in well. He is our flexible friend, working whenever and wherever he is needed. He will travel out of his normal area and never complains. He is an outstanding carer, very popular with our clients as he always has a smile and a friendly disposition’ and ‘it would be unanimous decision, not only from myself completing this nomination but from all at our staff and clients that he should be recognised for all he does’.
Jaspinder’s award saw him receive a £100 Love to Shop voucher, with a £400 CareLineLive statement credit for Primary Home Care.
Read Jaspinder’s interview here.
2nd prize winner – Shupikai ‘Chris’ Chikwavira from Together in Care Forensic based in Batley, West Yorkshire
Chris impressed the judges with his commitment to improving living conditions and working with social work teams and families and being a great all round team player. Chris’s Lead Administrator, Victoria Ashfield said ‘This carer gets positive feedback from both clients and colleagues alike. He has become a champion for home environments, working to improve the living conditions diligently and raising concerns so we can liaise with social work team and family’.
Chris’s award saw him receive a £75 Love to Shop voucher, with a £200 CareLineLive statement credit for Together in Care Forensic.
Read Chris’s interview here.
3rd prize winner – Georgina Green from Choice Support based in Nottingham
Gina’s commitment and dedication to inclusion impressed the judges. Gina’s Operations Lead, Sonia Kuznair said, ‘Gina has supported people to achieve so much this year from attending their first ever rock concert to setting up our speaking up forum, organising our first disco dating event which attended by people from across Nottingham, resulting in new friendships. She has supported two people to hold their first fundraising coffee morning which lots of people attended and enjoyed including families of those we support. Other events she has undertaken include a pride event, medication and first aid for families and first aid skills for those supported. Her energy and commitment is making a real change to people’s lives’.
Gina’s award saw her receive a beautiful hamper, with a £100 CareLineLive statement credit for Choice Support.
Read Gina’s interview here.
Highly Commended
Our highly commended star carers shone brightly and truly deserved their commendations.
Here’s a snippet of what their nominators said about them!
Amy Bentley from Caringlinks in Sponden, Derby
Director and Registered Manager, Karen Bardoe said, ‘On Saturday 21st October Amy was held up with all the flooding on the way to a call and there was nowhere to go to the route was flooded. Instead of just waiting she could see rescue services and others helping to evacuate people from their homes to a community centre so she offered to help and continued to assist with the evacuation helping where she could.’
Beatter Chindima from Four Hills Care in Westbury, Wiltshire
Deputy Manager, Mandy Lovelace said ‘Beatter has received compliments from other health care professionals regarding her compassion. Beatter had a very complex end of life customer, she learned complex procedures to enable this customer to have a better quality of life and consequently helped to extend his life beyond what was expected.’
Spencer Cowling from Salutem Care in Brighton, East Sussex
Team Leader, Avis Cockbill said, ‘Spencer works really hard to provide meaningful and engaging activities for the people who attend the Sharon Collins resource Centre. Everyone wants to be in his activities and he gets people who don’t always engage in activities involved and coming back for more’.
Becky Hadley from Everycare Rugby and Warwickshire in Rugby, Warwickshire
Director, Nicole Chatha said ‘Becky takes her lunch with her to one particular service user, as Becky has found she eats better with company, it’s just so refreshing to see her go above and beyond and think outside of the box. She mentors all our new staff, quite literally takes them under her wing!’
Martyna Herbut from Serve in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
Registered Care Manager, Sam Horne said ‘Martyna always goes the extra mile eg: delivering activity books for a customer whose TV broke and was bored, delivering ice creams to colleagues caring during the heat wave, driving colleagues to calls when their car broke down, always putting the customer at the centre of everything every day.’
Gill Leather (pictured above) from SureCare Central in Nantwich, Cheshire
Director Tina Jones said ‘Gill stands out from team making suggestions to improve our collective care. Reads up on client conditions, adapts care and shares tips with others. Made crowns for clients to celebrate Queen’s Jubilee and goody bags for Kings Coronation. Attention to detail with care – speaking to other health professionals about clients decline in condition or particular health needs, keeps office informed’.
Russ Masters from Salutem Care in Gillingham, Kent
Home Manager, Tina Turner said ‘Russ has exceptional knowledge of the residents we support he is our go to staff member, our residents really like him, Russ is very supportive of new staff members within the service giving guidance where necessary. Russ has worked within the company for many years he has seen a lot of changes and just adapts as they develop. I feel if anyone deserves the acknowledgement of a carer award it should be him’.
Molly Meads from Q1 Care in Reading, Berkshire
Registered Care Manager, Michelle McDonnell said ‘Molly started at Q1 Care and was very shy, she has grown so much over the past year always going above and beyond supporting our lovely clients. Molly has dreamed of becoming a paramedic and she is now on her way to enrolling on to her dream career. Molly is an absolute pleasure to have as part of our team, she is always smiling, works really hard and goes above and beyond for all staff and clients alike. She is an absolute asset to our company’.
Layla Munyu from Invicta Care and Training in Uxbridge
Line Manager, Nimo Omar said, ‘Layla has attended and supported families during funerals, she spends time during the holidays with clients with no families, and she makes sure that they celebrate during the holiday. I have seen family members of clients calling her the sister they never had, and I have seen clients who are end of their lives asking to be cared by her as they believe they will die peacefully if she were them.’
Stuart Taylor from Saluten-Ambito in Windsor
Service Manager, Grace Radford said ‘ Stuart puts his heart and soul into the work he does, he always puts the people he supports first and has a wealth of experience and knowledge which is vital in mentoring the new staff coming into our services. Stuart doesn’t let anything stand in his way and always puts his own needs aside to offer care and support to the people he’s working with. Stuart is a great care worker, fantastic leader, and incredible role model’.
Monika Wilczewska (pictured above) from A Class care in Ipswich, Suffolk
Regional Manager, Natalie Matthews said ‘When Monika arrived her client was non verbal, had not been able to leave the house due to not having the correct equipment in place and no wheelchair access to leave the property, the family did not have any luck with the local council to get the funding, however Monika did not give up fighting for LR and after a few months managed to get full funding from the local Council and they built in a brilliant ramp and pathway which enabled our carer to take LR out in her wheelchair which made such a difference to her wellbeing, LR then started to verbalize. LR’s family were so grateful to Monika, Sadly LR had recently passed away, Monika was on her break back in Poland, LR asked for Monika to be there with her when she passed as did her Son and without a second thought Monika booked her flight back and after 2 days LR sadly passed away. Monika has done a lot more than this however this stands out’.
