Craegmoor Care Home Scoops ‘Best Residential Care Award’ At Prestigious Ceremony
A residential care home in March, Cambridgeshire, run by Craegmoor which is part of the Priory Group, is celebrating after winning Best Residential Care Award at the 2015 LaingBuisson Awards ceremony in London.
The prestigious event, one of the main highlights in the health sector calendar, celebrates the achievements of independent healthcare providers who are ‘best in class’.
The 2015 competition was fierce, with award submissions significantly up on last year, but despite this the home beat 10 other finalists to the top spot in the ‘Social Care’ category – winning important recognition for its work.
Specifically, the award celebrated Kensington Bungalow in Dagless Way, March, part of Conquest Lodge – a service for adults with mental health illnesses who were previously struggling to live unsupported in the community without frequent readmissions to hospital.
The service offers 24/7 specialist residential support and is committed to providing enough support to empower and encourage individuals to develop the skills they need to live as independently as possible, and achieve positive outcomes.
Craegmoor, which supports people with learning disabilities and mental health needs, is part of the Priory Group which runs the UK’s largest network of mental healthcare hospitals and clinics in the UK and is the country’s leading provider of behavioural care.
Sarah Hughes, CEO of Craegmoor, said: “2015 has been a brilliant year for Craegmoor, and this award underlines and recognises our mission to bring together the best people and deliver the highest quality care. I am very proud to be leading the people who make Craegmoor so successful.”
Annika Short, registered manager of Kensington Bungalow, said: “It was a privilege to receive the award which was recognition of a whole team effort, and I am immensely proud of both the team and our residents.”
The annual awards are hosted by LaingBuisson, a provider of market intelligence on the independent health, community care and childcare sectors.
The quality and dedication on display among the finalists was “astounding”, according to the healthcare consultancy which celebrates its tenth year of acknowledging and spotlighting the expertise and successes of independent and charity sector providers operating in UK healthcare services.
Since its beginnings in 2006, the awards programme has celebrated the work of a large number of organisations dedicated to innovation and high quality delivery in UK healthcare.
Award winners were announced at a Gala Dinner at the London Lancaster Hotel, hosted by Michael Portillo, the broadcaster and former Cabinet Minister.
This year’s board of judges included: Lene Gurney of the Association of Independent Healthcare Organisations (AIHO); Dr Judith Brown of the National Autistic Society; Howard Lyons of Healthcare UK and Matt James of the Private Hospital Information Network (PHIN) and Dame Donna Kinnair of the Royal College of Nursing.
When choosing the winners, judges were asked to look at a number of key areas – the values and aims of the organisations; project outcomes; the longevity of their projects; the opportunities given to both staff and clients and the importance of the provider within the context of the independent sector.
LaingBuisson CEO William Laing said: “Over the past decade it’s given me great pleasure to recognise and reward the invaluable contribution that private, independent and voluntary sector providers make to this economy. This special 10 years of excellence awards was a truly unique occasion for leaders across the industry to gather on a single evening and celebrate the best in ability, performance and achievement.”
He said it was a chance for himself and LaingBuisson to apply over 30 years’ of experience immersed in independent healthcare to say “yes, these are the best in show”, whether in acute services, care of older people, dementia, homecare, learning disabilities, mental health, residential care or supported living”.
