Three Exemplar Health Care colleagues win at the Great British Care Awards regional finals

Over the past few weeks, ten Exemplar Health Care colleagues have joined thousands of other social care workers at the Great British Care Awards 2020 regional award ceremonies.

The Great British Care Awards celebrate those individuals who have demonstrated the best of the best in social care. Following a rigorous nomination process, ten of our colleagues were shortlisted as finalists from over 4000 nominations.

We’re proud to share that, following the regional award ceremonies, three colleagues from across the company came top in their category and took home the regional award.

Congratulations to our winners, Bev Blyth, Rebecca Hyland and Siobhan Henson, who will now attend the national finals of the Great British Care Awards in September in Birmingham.

Bev Blythe – winner of ‘The Care Home Activities Organiser Award’ in Yorkshire and Humber

Bev works at our Fairburn Mews care home in Castleford – the only care home in England to be accredited by the Huntington’s Disease Association.

Bev was nominated for always putting our service users at the heart of activities in the home, and thinking outside of the box to support people to achieve their goals. Bev is particularly passionate about supporting service users to go on holiday if they wish.

The judges were impressed by Bev’s creativity. They said: “Bev thinks outside the box to deliver meaningful, person-centred activities to promote wellbeing and independence.”

Read more about the Yorkshire and Humber regional winners.

Siobhan Henson – winner of ‘The Care Home Activities Organiser Award’ in East Midlands

Siobhan works at our Pathways care home in Sutton-in-Ashfield, a small home that supports adults living with complex learning disabilities.

Siobhan was nominated for taking a person-centred approach to her role. She works with service users to understand what they enjoy doing, and then builds it into their everyday lives so they can continue doing the things they love. During the pandemic, Siobhan built a beach in the garden for residents and colleagues to enjoy.

The judges were impressed by Siobhan’s immense passion and enthusiasm for her role. They said: “She was able to evidence that experience obtained in former roles was used in the current role. She is passionate about service users accessing the community and achieving their optimal potential.”

Read more about the East Midlands regional winners.

Rebecca Hyland – winner of ‘The Social Care Nurse Award’ in West Midlands

Rebecca works at our Scotia Heights care home in Stoke-on-Trent. Rebecca was nominated for showing compassion, respect and kindness to service users and colleagues alike.  She goes out of her way to support her team, particularly when acting as a mentor for new Nurses in the home. 

The judges shared: “Rebecca has shown not only is she a Nurse, but to her clients she is a friend. She evidently would go above and beyond to enable her service users (and colleagues!!) to achieve the very best outcomes.”

Read more about the West Midlands regional winners.

Well done to all of our finalists

Bev, Siobhan and Rebecca were joined by seven colleagues from across our care homes who also made it to the regional finals.

Claire Bell – Unit Manager, Dearnevale

Claire was nominated for being dedicated to her role and always striving to maintain quality, as well as having a wonderful work ethic. An example of this is during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Claire set up a support service for one of our service user’s mums who’s been having a difficult time recently, ensuring that someone from the team rings them at a set time each morning to check on her emotional wellbeing.

Donna Fox – Support Worker, Fairburn Vale

Donna was nominated for being kind, caring and compassionate towards everyone in the home, and always promoting choice and independence. Donna is an exceptional team leader, often coaching colleagues through challenging situations in the home. One colleague shared: “Donna always checks in with me to make sure I’m ok.”

Gary Hobson – Maintenance Worker, Fairburn Vale

Gary was nominated for being a well-respected member of the team and going above and beyond to help others, from decorating people’s bedrooms to organising daily TV schedules for service users!

June Burke – Activities Coordinator, Fairburn Vale

June was nominated for planning and implementing person-centred and meaningful activities for service users, always ensuring that they continue to do the things that the love doing! During lockdown she’s worked with keen gardeners in the home to build an outdoor shed, revamp the garden furniture and plant trees and fruit in the garden.

Tracy Bowler – Housekeeper, Fairburn Mews

Tracy was nominated for always going above and beyond in her role. As well as ensuring high levels of cleanliness in the home, Tracy enjoys organising fun activities for service users and plans birthday celebrations to spoil people on their special day, including getting breakfast butties to share on their birthday morning.

Chris Straw – Maintenance Worker, Pathways

Chris was nominated for not only achieving an incredible 96% in his latest internal health and safety audit, but also getting involved in activities with service users, taking the time to get to know people and supporting colleagues through his role as a Mental Health First Aider.

Dawn Williams - Housekeeping Manager, Scotia Heights

Dawn was nominated for her outstanding efforts and dedication to the Housekeeping Team at Scotia Heights, in particular always ensuring that rooms are ready for new residents and going above and beyond to welcome them when they move into the home.