Winners Announced For This Year’s Lincolnshire Care Awards
The winners have been announced for the Lincolnshire Care Awards 2019. Hosted by the Lincolnshire Care Association (LinCA), the annual award ceremony is the chance to honour the county’s best in care and celebrate the contribution of this vital, but often-overlooked, workforce.
The awards were established in 2016 to highlight the hard work and dedication of care workers and managers in Lincolnshire, particularly those who always go above and beyond the call of duty. Finalists were nominated by their service users and their families or by a colleague, with this year’s awards receiving a record number of nominations – more than 100 across 12 categories! Both winners and those who came highly commended received an engraved award and certificate.
This year’s winners are:
- Residential Care Award: Laura Armstrong, Fotherby House
- Community Care Award: Elizabeth Felton, Walnut Care
- Nursing and Nursing Associate in Social Care Award: Angela Cowley, Drovers Call and Lynn Brown, Westfield Nursing Home
- Healthy Nutrition Award: Lisa Herbert and Katie Greenslade, Red House Nursing Home
- Residential Care Leadership Award: Wendy Britton, Nene Lodge Retirement Home
- Community Care Leadership Award: Damian Taylor, EarlyBird Lifestyle and Support Ltd
- Care Trainer Award: Sam Stockwell, Boultham Park House
- Care Activity Organiser Award: Charli Siddons, The Old Hall
- Behind the Scenes Award: Andrew Saunders, Gregory House
- Caring Together Award: Gainsborough Not Alone, Macmillan Volunteers
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Helen Reilly, Oakdene Care Home
- Rising Star Award: Richard Skipper, Libertas, and Julia Pagett, Ashdene Care Home
When asked how it feels to win the Community Care Award, Elizabeth Felton said: “I am very privileged and very happy. It’s lovely to be acknowledged for the work I do.”
While Damian Taylor, winner of Community Care Leadership Award, said: “I feel emotional. To see everybody together tonight and being recognised for the work they do has been incredible. Everybody in the room who works in this industry is a winner.”
It took 19 judges to interview the more than 100 nominees put forward for this year’s awards. To decide the winner, judges asked finalists to share a bit about themselves, along with questions relevant to their category.
Councillor Patricia Bradwell, Executive Councillor for Adult Care from Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Caring for someone or for groups of people is not an easy role to fulfil and requires a lot of perseverance and understanding. Our award winners are fine examples of so many caring staff in Lincolnshire who show real dedication and passion in their work, to ensure that people throughout the county are given the care they need and deserve.”
This year, the Rising Star category received so many nominations, LinCA decided to turn the category into its own separate award. Sponsored by Lincoln College, promising junior care workers were set a range of tasks to investigate their strengths and values, as opposed to an intimidating judging panel. This year’s winners were Julia Pagett from Ashdene Care Home and Richard Skipper from Libertas. The college and the Care Association have been working together to develop the Lincoln Care College, to ensure young people have the skills needed to excel in the health and social care sector.
Melanie Weatherley MBE, Chair of LinCA, said: “The care worker is often undervalued, not seen and definitely underpaid, and it’s good to give them a chance to shine.
“The Lincolnshire Care Awards celebrate excellence in care. It’s not about employers or care organisations, it’s about honouring dedicated care workers and the difference they make to others every single day.”
