Sutton Care Home Dedicates Prestigious Industry Award to Late Friends

The Cherry Tree, a four-bed residential care home in Sutton, Surrey which supports adults with autism and challenging behaviour, has been named as the winner of The Care Home Team Award in the Great British Care Awards.

Manager Nicki Miller nominated the home because of the team’s resilience during COVID and in memory of two people they supported who died in the last two years.

The award citation stated: The team have shown a fantastic morale and that caring is everyone’s responsibility no matter the role. The consistency is brilliant and the compassion they have for not only their service users but also their colleagues, shows exactly how they all kept going throughout the pandemic.

Nicki Miller said: “I nominated The Cherry Tree for a number of reasons. As a staff team, we have been through some extremely challenging times, including the loss of two very dear friends. The team have pulled together so well supporting each other and our individuals to maintain as much normality and consistency as possible.

“My team showed that together we are stronger and that working towards common goals we can encourage our guys to achieve. One aim for our team is to enable our individuals to be the best they can be and to have the most fulfilling life as possible.

“We are extremely lucky to have amazing support from the individual’s families who have been with us every step of the way during the difficult times.”

John Godden MBE, CEO of Salutem Care and Education, said: “On behalf of the whole Salutem family, I’d like to congratulate Nicki and the team at Cherry Tree for this extraordinary recognition.

“They’ve been a fantastic support to each other in times of adversity and the award is well deserved. I wish them the best of luck for the national finals.”