Care South Shines At Care Focus South West Awards

Staff based at Care South’s Home Care Office in Crewkerne are celebrating after winning at the 2014 Care Focus South West Care Awards, held at the Wellsprings Leisure Centre in Taunton.

Lyn Couldwell, Domiciliary Care Operations Manager and Sarah Broom, Client Services Manager at Care South won the accolade for ‘End of Life Care’ and Ayeisha Harper was a finalist in the ‘Excellence in Leadership’ category.  Sarah and Lyn, who have worked together for 15 years, and have a combined total of 50 years’ experience in the social care sector, were recognised for their Gold Standards Framework facilitator training.

The duo were nominated for the award by their colleagues at Care South for the high standard of training they have provided to staff to enable them to deliver service-user centred care for people at the end of their lives. Lyn and Sarah started their Gold Standards Framework facilitators training back in November 2013 and through their training have provided their staff with the confidence and passion to deliver quality, person-centred care to many individuals living across Somerset.

Ayeisha Harper has been working in the care sector for eight years. She was shortlisted for the ‘Excellence in Leadership’ award for her work leading and developing community care staff.

Commenting on the award win, Lyn Couldwell said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won the award for ‘End of Life Care.’ We are committed to providing the best possible care to all people nearing the end of their lives, irrespective of diagnosis. However, this award is not about Sarah or I; it’s about the service users and making sure we provide them with the highest standard of care to allow them to remain living in their own homes for as long as they wish. Our staff have embraced their training sessions, shared ideas and best practice and now have the necessary tools and knowledge to deliver the Gold Standards Framework.”

Carolyn Collins, Director of Domiciliary Care at Care South, said: “The achievements of Lyn, Sarah and Ayeisha are wonderful examples of the dedication of our staff to providing quality domiciliary care for people at all stages of their lives. It’s wonderful to see our staff getting special recognition for their efforts from Care Focus.”

The Care Focus Care Awards aim to highlight excellence in care and showcase the commitment and dedication of care workers. A glitzy awards dinner, hosted by the presenter of flagship BBC Somerset Breakfast show, Emma Britton, was held to celebrate the achievements of care workers.

The Gold Standards Framework is a model that enables good practice to be available to all people nearing the end of their lives. It provides a framework for a planned system of care in consultation with the patient and their family and promotes better coordination and collaboration between healthcare professionals.