Care Awards Celebration Supplement 2020 by investorpublishing

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Christie & Co are delighted to have sponsored The National Care Awards 2020 for the 22nd year in a row We’d like to congratulate all the nalists

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0207 227 0716

Welcome... All of us on the Caring Times team continue to be delighted at the brilliant response to the awards from right across the sector and from all parts of the UK. It’s our pleasure to extend our thanks to our main sponsor Christie & Co for its continued support in encouraging, recognising and rewarding the very best people in our sector. A further thanks to our dedicated category sponsors, thank you all for your support. Over the last 22 years we have celebrated together those most important people – our wonderful staff upon whom so many depend. For Caring Times it has been an honour to be able to highlight, each year, their enthusiasm, skill and dedication. Our winners have demonstrated exceptional levels of care and have gone above and beyond and made a real difference to residents and staff during these challenging times! Congratulations to all our winners for 2020! We look forward to opening entries for the National Care Awards 2021 shortly! Rob Munro Editor, Caring Times

We will be returning as a live event in November

Entries will be opening soon! If you are interested in category sponsorship for 2021, or require further information please contact Caroline Bowern: caroline.bowern@investorpublishing.co.uk or 0797 4643292

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Meet our main sponsor... MAIN SPONSOR

Christie & Co

Established over 85 years ago, Christie & Co is a specialist business property adviser covering a range of business property sectors, including childcare, specialist care, elderly care/senior living, medical (dental, pharmacy, GP surgeries and clinics) and primary care. No other company has a national network which is comparable. We employ recognised market leaders in all eight of the sectors we cover, and our wider team includes 81 transactional and advisory professionals spread across the UK - the biggest sector specialist team of any firm, with the largest coverage, having dedicated experts across our network of 15 offices. We have a level of knowledge which can only be gained from decades of experience and a level of data that results from the large volume of assignments that we advise on. Christie & Co’s healthcare business accounts for over half of the total company revenue and includes dealing with a wide variety of healthcare businesses ranging from small single asset operations to the largest portfolios. We look to provide the highest standard of service and are very motivated to achieve the best outcomes for our clients. Q: Why was supporting the Care Awards important to you? A: We were thrilled to be the main sponsor for the National Care Awards 2020, for the 22nd year in a row. We have proudly supported the Awards since their inception and feel passionately about the importance of highlighting the very best people in the long-term care sector, celebrating excellence, and rewarding those who work tirelessly to provide consistently outstanding care. Richard Lunn, Managing Director – Care at Christie & Co, comments, “We are delighted to have been involved in the Care Awards since its inception 22 years ago and now, more than ever, it’s so important to highlight, acknowledge and reward some of the hardest working, dedicated professional people working on the front line of care delivery. We hope everyone enjoyed the virtual awards evening, celebrating all that is great in the care sector. It was truly inspiring to hear the stories of strength and perseverance from all the finalists. Congratulations once again to all.” Q: How will you continue to support the sector as we start to rebuild our economy? Your goals and strategy for 2021: A: At Christie & Co, we have been very mindful of the challenges faced by operators and have evolved our working practices as best we can; hosting virtual meetings and viewings wherever possible, and ensuring we are available to assist with any questions or needs our clients have at this difficult and challenging time. In 2020, we sold more than 65% of all the individually transacted care homes in the market (according to Caring Times). In this new year, we aim to maintain our position as the go-to adviser for all care business transactions in the UK, and to ensure that our clients feel safe in the knowledge that we can give them expert, honest advice on the sale or acquisition of a healthcare business.

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Carer 2020 The winner was...

AWARD CATEGORY SPONSORED BY:

Dani Whitehouse FERNHILL HOUSE CARE HOME MAJESTICARE Q: What do you most enjoy and value about being a carer?

A: I became a Carer about two and a half

The judges’ view Although up against four incredibly strong nominees, the judges chose Dani for her willingness to take on huge responsibility, her focussed approach to training and mentoring members of staff, the positive impact she has on her colleagues, her calming influence and clear attachment to the individuals she cares for and, her meticulous attention to detail when it comes to the unique requirements of the residents of Fernhill House Care Home.

years ago and just fell in love with care. I absolutely love my job and I make it my mission to do everything I can to provide the best care possible for the residents I love. I’m lucky to have been supported to work my way up to become a CHAPs and also a mentor to my teams. I’ve always wanted to train other carers in my teams to become as passionate as I am and to go above and beyond through personcentred care. What I love the most is being able to bring so much happiness, love and friendship to my residents. One lovely experience we created, was for a lady who had Motor Neurone disease and didn’t find it easy to engage with the daily activities within the home, so a few of my team got together one evening, in our own time, and had a girls night of pampering! We all got in our PJ’s, ate chocolates and cake and watched a film together in the resident’s room. It was such a special evening for everyone. The best bit about working in care and what I value the most, is the friendships you make with residents and your team. Getting to know my residents likes, hobbies and interests, their dislikes, life stories and what make them sparkle… they become part of your family. I always look forward to seeing them and it always makes me smile when, after days off I am greeted with “where’ve you been? I’ve missed you!” Providing outstanding care for my residents and their happiness is our priority and that’s the most important part about working in care.

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Care Registered Nurse 2020 The winner was...

AWARD CATEGORY SPONSORED BY:

Elizabeth Smith THE GABLES CONSENSUS Q: What challenges have you overcome this year as a registered nurse?

A: As a registered nurse and the manager of

The judges’ view This was a hotly contested category, with very strong candidates. The judges chose Elizabeth because she demonstrated outstanding dedication and advocacy; she makes a real change to people’s lives, while making her staff feel ‘worth their weight in gold’.

a residential service for individuals with learning disabilities, autism and very complex needs, keeping the people we support and my staff safe during the COVID pandemic has been an absolute priority. The last year has been one of the most challenging of my career. It was my responsibility to lead the team in keeping the virus out of the service, and it was critical that my staff, the individuals we support and their families, all had confidence in the decisions I made to keep everyone safe. While we have always practiced exceptionally high standards of infection control, being proactive and staying one step ahead from the outset has been essential. At the beginning of the year when the virus first came to light, I immediately began sourcing PPE supplies to ensure we had enough stock to be able to nurse the people we support and keep my staff safe. I also set up an isolation unit in the service in January, so that in the event that any individuals did test positive for the virus, we could successfully isolate them from the other supported individuals living at the service. While we were focused on keeping the service free from the virus, our purpose remained to ensure that the individuals we support could still enjoy opportunity, choice and success throughout this period, and we have worked together as a team to adapt activities and support plans in order to achieve this. As well as being a source of support and guidance for my team, it has also been important to take supported individuals and their families on that journey with us, keeping them regularly updated and providing reassurance about the health and wellbeing of their loved ones has been essential and has enabled us to maintain their trust and confidence throughout these challenging times.

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Care Team 2020 The winners were...

AWARD CATEGORY SPONSORED BY:

Kew House Care Home HALLMARK CARE HOMES Q: You beat a lot of excellent teams to win Care Team 2020. What makes your team special? The judges’ view “I love the joy of waking up, getting up and seeing other people” said John, a 93 year ‘’young’’ resident of Kew House. This quote captures what their Lifestyles Team set out to achieve – they are passionate, innovative, energetic and devoted to their work and making such a positive difference to the lives of their residents.

A: At Kew House Care Home, our ethos

is to innovate, communicate and show exceptional commitment to our roles. We are always seeking out new and exciting ways to engage our residents! What makes us special is the depth of our care: it’s really important to us that we take a whole-home approach so every team member is part of one big family – a family that we welcome our residents and their relatives and friends into. We recognise that each resident has a story to tell and we strive to build strong relationships between team members and residents. Seeing those special bonds every day is such a delight and so rewarding. Importantly, everyone in the team is focused on one common goal. This is to achieve Hallmark Care Homes’ vision of being the leading provider of high-quality, relationship-centred care for all residents. The fact that Kew House Care Home is rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission in four of five key areas is testament to the dedication and passion of each team member, and our fantastic culture of clear and open communication. We are absolutely delighted and thrilled to have won the ‘Care Team’ accolade at this year’s National Care Awards. We always strive to provide the best outcomes for the residents of Kew House and to be recognised in this way is something to truly celebrate. 2020 was tough year for the care sector and we take pride in how we have all worked together to ensure that the residents’ wellbeing continued to be at the forefront of all that we do. This award really shows that we encourage creativity and ingenuity. And that, above all, we care.

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Care Home Manager 2020 The winner was...

Samantha Evens ARCOT HOUSE CARE HOME DOVELEIGH CARE

Q: What are the qualities needed to become an outstanding manager?

A: To become an outstanding manager you need to

The judges’ view Samantha has shown inspirational leadership, achieving Outstanding across two homes, with all five domains rated as Outstanding in her most recent inspection. Residents, relatives and team members are empowered, enabled, involved and engaged with Samantha going over and above every day to make a difference to the lives of others.

spend time working on the floor and leading by example with an open mind. Care settings are routinely changing due to the nature of our role and the needs of our residents can change very quickly. All staff can bring new ideas and new strengths and it’s important we listen to them and give staff the opportunity to try these. We can have ideas, routines and roles which work at the time, but may not work as well when things change. I believe it is important that as a manager we should constantly reevaluate what they are doing, see what is working and what is not going so well and then implement changes or adaptions where needed. To do this effectively and to a high standard, we need input from all staff. I also feel that by being personally driven and wanting to make a difference encourages others to follow and see what an important job they have and what difference they can individually make. An example of this is where some of my senior carers were developing their skills and were keen to progress further. In order to reward their enthusiasm and prevent them looking for alternative employment, I had a meeting with my Assistant Managers to discuss which tasks I could delegate to them. They came up with four possible responsibilities. Staff were then made aware of these roles and invited to speak to me about why they felt they would be suitable to fulfil them. Delegating these responsibilities gave the opportunity for senior staff to promote themselves within the team, boosted staff morale and also reduced some of the workload of my Assistant Managers, giving them additional time to focus on their other tasks.

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Dementia Care Manager 2020 The winner was...

Gary Haynes HASTINGS COURT CARE HOME OAKLAND CARE

Q: How did you meet and overcome the special challenges presented with people living with dementia caused by the pandemic? A: Since the start of the pandemic myself and

The judges’ view The judges chose Gary because he demonstrated quiet determination in making a difference to the lives of people with dementia, leading by example and with a focus on developing relationships with residents, families and staff that are built on trust and mutual respect, underpinned by his ethos that ‘every day is a positive day’.

my staff have understood that it would be difficult for some residents to understand due to their dementia, and would find it hard to cope with not seeing their loved ones the way they always have. Through having the ethos that we are all one happy family we have met these challenges and problems head on with determination, understanding and empathy. By utilising technology with face timing, and with the covid – safe family Summerhouse we have managed to keep connections going in an environment that is risk free for our residents. Along with the Sunflower mobile phone we are able to keep this contact for our residents and their loved ones. There have been challenges along the way but with a smile and a positive outlook my staff and I have always made sure that everyone is okay and that the impact the pandemic has had is reduced for our residents. Looking forward we will continue to meet the challenges together as a home and a family and make sure that 2020 ends with laughter and fun for our residents, and will continue this into 2021 in the same vain. It is easy to support amazing people and we are privileged to have the roles we love.

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Care Operations / Area Manager 2020 The winner was...

AWARD CATEGORY SPONSORED BY:

Amy Burt DOVELEIGH CARE Q: How do you encourage and support a manager who you feel is not performing as well as s/he could do? A: Underperformance may be a result of any

The judges’ view The judges felt that all the candidates were very high quality however Amy Burt was their clear winner. They chose Amy because it was evident that she exhibits authentic leadership in her 3 homes. Her testimonials from staff and relatives evidence her dedication to high quality care and team member wellbeing. All 3 of the homes have not only achieved Outstanding ratings, but have retained and improved their Outstanding ratings which is a phenomenal achievement.

number of reasons. It is extremely important to have regular meetings with your managers to ensure good communication is maintained. Listen to your managers and look for subtle changes in their performance. By listening and observing your managers you should be able to pick up any early warning signs that all may not be well with them. I would then do further checks to ensure that my initial feelings of under-performance from the manager were correct by monitoring the manager and discreetly checking in with other colleagues to gain feedback from them. Once I have my feelings confirmed, I would have a conversation with the Manager. I would explain exactly what I have observed, how their under-performance is affecting the workplace and make it clear that I want to help. Opening up a conversation can start like this; “I’ve seen issues with your performance. I have confidence in you that you can do better. So how do we move on from this? How do we improve?” I would offer specific examples of what my concerns are, or what I have witnessed. Don’t say “someone told me you did this…” If you're trying to correct underperformance, you need to be able to specifically discuss where the issues lie. Explain how their actions impact the team.

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Make a plan with your manager

Do: • Take action as soon as possible – the sooner you intervene the better • Reflect how you might be contributing to the performance issues • Keep listening and be available to support your manager

Don’t: • Forget to follow up — check in with their progress regularly • Waste your time trying to coach someone who is unwilling to admit that there’s an issue • Talk about specific performance issues with others on the team • Have a blame culture, always look to improve the situation.

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Care Activities Co-ordinator/ Facilitator 2020 The winner was...

AWARD CATEGORY SPONSORED BY:

Emma Crompton BRADSHAW MANOR CARE HOME BARCHESTER HEALTHCARE Q: Activities have become such an important part of daily life in a care home. What are your favourites and why? A: Emma Crompton, Activities Coordinator at

The judges’ view Emma is a true inspiration to all young professionals in care and those thinking of entering the sector. The term ‘above and beyond’ can be overused but could not be more fitting on this occasion. Emma’s commitment to improving the wellbeing of residents is quite remarkable.

Bradshaw Manor comments: “We have the best residents in the world and it is a joy to come up with new activities for them to take part in. Our residents love all kinds of sensory activities – baking, crafts, gardening – they love to do the things they used to do at home. My favourite activities centre around virtual experiences, we had some centrally organised live streamed events in the run up to Christmas which were absolutely amazing – tours of Blenheim Palace and talks and performances from the English National Ballet which the residents absolutely loved. We’ve put on some themed events ourselves and these have been hugely successful – a chance for the residents to experience the feeling of being out and about, which of course has not been possible during the pandemic. We have recently made a Winter Wonderland complete with Northern Lights experience where the residents loved making their own snow, a virtual trip to Paris, a day out at Chester Zoo and my absolute favourite which was a trip to Italy. Our chef themed all the food that day so residents had a go at making pizza and pasta – with mixed success! We went on a virtual bike ride around Rome to see all the sights, all the residents pretending they were on bikes with the wind in their hair, we all absolutely loved it. I can honestly say I have the best job – we all have so much fun together.”

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Care Housekeeper 2020 The winner was...

Julie Loscombe DEFOE COURT HC-ONE Q: Housekeepers are increasingly taking a more prominent frontline role in care homes, particularly involving residents in everyday tasks. Please explain whether you think this is a good development? A: I believe strongly that a key part of my role as Senior

The judges’ view The judges chose Julie because as well as taking ownership of infection-control measures, working tirelessly to ensure staff and resident safety, she has also helped other departments and arranged a variety of lockdown entertainment.

Housekeeper at Defoe Court Care Home is to spend time with the residents, to learn about their lives, personal preferences, interests, as well as to encourage and involve them in everyday tasks. I incorporate HC-One’s 8 point wellbeing plan into my work, and one of the key components of this plan is to involve residents in everyday occupation. This is their home and, by allowing them to be involved in everyday tasks, it can help to make them feel part of the family and gives them the independence to carry out activities which they’d have carried out before joining us at Defoe Court. These everyday tasks include light housework, setting up the tables, folding napkins, towels or tea towels, and helping us to make their rooms personalised and homely. It is a powerful way of enhancing the wellbeing of the residents in our care. It supports them to maintain their independence and skills, and achieve a great sense of purpose, enjoyment and selfworth. It also improves their physical fitness and mobility, their quality of sleep, appetite, social interactions, their mood, boosts happiness and reduces anxiety. During the pandemic, I’ve adapted how I involve residents in everyday tasks due to strict infection control measures. Whilst tasks have been more limited to ensure the safety of residents, I’ve still been able to involve residents with simple housekeeping tasks in their own rooms, where possible and respecting their wishes. Spending oneto-one time with residents whilst carrying out these tasks has allowed me to get to know them even more and pick up on comments/feedback that I can pass onto my care colleagues, as well as assist them with technical gadgets such as Alexas or tablet devices.

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Care Chef 2020 The winner was...

Richard Pearshouse PARKLANDS MANOR SIGNATURE SENIOR LIFESTYLE Q: What are the key developments in recent years which have improved cooking and nutrition in care homes? A: One of the biggest developments is the

The judges’ view The judges chose Richard as he stood out from the rest of the finalists for being resident centric, focused on developing his team and producing food that supported residents in “living their best lives”.

Improvement in modified textured diets partly thanks to the IDDSI guidelines and companies like Signature showing forward thinking in how they address the challenge of dysphagia. When I first started in the care sector, pureed food was just a bowl of the meal liquidised up with no definition of what it is. Now, everything is cooked enough to maintain the nutritional value while still being able to get the right texture, we add all the necessary liquid to it before we thicken to ensure the texture is the same through out, and everything is pipped to look as close to the meal it is as possible. Another development is the standard of the food and chefs that are coming into the care sector. When going into the luxury part of the care sector the clientele we have are used to eating in the top restaurants of the world and just because they are now living in a care home doesn't mean they have to miss out on great fine dining food.

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Care Home of the Year 2020 The winners were...

AWARD CATEGORY SPONSORED BY:

The Close Care Home Q: What makes an outstanding home? Please suggest your top three features

A: An outstanding home is one where there is a

The judges’ view The judges felt the overall standard was very high and it was a difficult decision, but their winner, The Close Care Home, is a stand out service because of its journey from Inadequate to Outstanding in just five years. It embodies what a care organisation with inspirational leadership can achieve.

high level of respect between all the individuals involved. This includes the residents, the staff team and all the stakeholders. Respect people, their choices, their past experiences, their differences (it’s what makes us special), their wishes and your own ability to make those wishes real. Outstanding at The Close means for us to inspire, lead and deliver care creatively. It means thinking outside the cliché boxes and challenging the traditional paradigms of what we accept in today’s industry and the status quo overall. We like to try to push the boundaries in all aspects, making sure we are safe and compliant throughout but really trying to add quality and independence into our resident’s lives. We found that bringing our true selves freely into the workplace and sharing with the whole Close family allows us to really make a positive impact on the lives of those that we are privileged enough to care for and lucky enough to call our colleagues. Having an open culture means that we can be inspired in our personal lives and bring that idea into the service and try some new and ground breaking ideas. At The Close we also understand being outstanding means being fearless. We mean to say strong and confident, it means allowing people to share their opinions openly and question each other fairly. It means for us not to be blame culture but be fully accountable for our choices, actions and decisions, but this in turn facilitates trying new things and new ways of thinking. It’s understanding not everything with work, but having the confidence to give it a damn good go.

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The Dignity & Respect Care Home of the Year 2020 The winners were...

AWARD CATEGORY SPONSORED BY:

Hassingham House Care Centre FOREST HEALTHCARE Q: In what special ways does Hassingham House show dignity and respect to our residents?

A: Dignity and respect is at the foremost of everything we

The judges’ view ‘Dignity and respect is foremost in everything we do’ says brilliant manager Caroline Newman of Hassingham House. They have a Dignity Champion, a Dignity Tree and Dignity Days promoting resident involvement with the local community. Satisfying cultural and spiritual needs, encouraging diversity, valuing choice, ensuring appropriate communication all contribute to a superb resident experience.

do at Hassingham House. When Residents are admitted, they are encouraged to personalise their rooms with belongings from their family Homes, rooms can be painted in a colour of their choosing. Care plans for each Resident are person centred, life histories are completed with help from the Residents or their families, to ensure all of the special things they like are taken into account, from food likes/dislikes, activities, previous jobs and hobbies, pets, etc.. this will enable Staff to look after the Residents in the best way possible and activities will geared around what they would like to day, whether it be a group activity or 1-1 time. Hassingham House is a purpose built Home, with wide corridors, bedrooms have a door into the sensory garden, the Residents love helping with the garden and enjoy sitting there in the summer. Hassingham House has a Dignity Champion, whose role is to promote the National common core values for dignity; she supports Staff to keep these principles at the forefront of support they give to the Residents. We have a Dignity tree, where Staff are encouraged to write on a leaf what dignity means to them, the leaf is then placed on the tree. Staff always knock on Residents bedroom doors and wait for an answer before entering. Dignified clothes protectors are offered to Residents at mealtimes. All Staff received training in Dignity and also in People like Me, this is when Staff make connections with Residents, the Residents love this and having special time with their connected Staff member. Residents are encouraged to maintain independence as much as possible.

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Care Newcomer 2020 The winner was...

AWARD CATEGORY SPONSORED BY:

Elise Woolnough WOODLAND GROVE CARE HOME OAKLAND CARE Q: Having recently joined the care sector, what is it that most excites you and what do you most enjoy? A: I encounter exciting moments in my job daily but I

The judges’ view Elise’s passion stood out to the judges; with her holistic approach and inclusion of all of her residents, she came across as a ray of light to Woodland Grove Care Home, its residents, staff and relatives. She went the extra mile to personalise her activities and in these tough, restrictive times her resourcefulness and use of technology had a very powerful impact on the resident’s experience. The judges feel she’ll go a long way in social care!

definitely get the most satisfaction out of the varied and sometimes random skills and events I end up sharing with the residents. For example, a few weeks ago I found myself teaching some residents how to balloon model, something I had never done before! This brought a lot of laughter and enjoyment to all involved and resulted in the home having gained at least 10 new balloon dogs. Although that’s probably not how I expected to spend my day when I woke up that morning, that’s what makes my job so special. Every day brings a new challenge and a new opportunity for fun and connection, and that in itself is so exciting. I most enjoy creating and planning special events for our residents to not only enjoy, but also take a moment to rekindle old skills and even learn new ones. I am passionate about the power of activities and the ability they have to not only entertain but to heal, educate and empower. I feel privileged to be in a position that allows me to spend so much time building relationships with such fantastic people, sharing in moments ranging from pouring over old photos to wearing silly hats and singing along to Max Bygraves. It has to be said, coming to work each day for me is a real treat and I look forward to many more years in the sector.

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Care Champion 2020 The winner was...

AWARD CATEGORY SPONSORED BY:

Karolina Gerlich THE CARE WORKERS CHARITY The judges’ view Karolina has demonstrated real passion and committed in taking on the role in very difficult circumstances during Covid-19. In a short space of time, she has put in a considerable amount of effort and raised significant funds to support care workers during the pandemic. Karolina has been a champion in raising awareness of the sector and the importance of care workers.

Q: The Care Workers’ Charity provides fantastic support for care workers who have fallen on hard times. In what other areas does the sector need championing?

A: Care workers need to be

recognised for the huge impact that they have on those they care for, and seen as the highly skilled professionals that they are. This must be sufficiently illustrated in their pay rates, as well as in their wider working conditions. The care sector has long been undervalued, and underfunded- as such the sector desperately needs financial championing. Similarly, the contribution of the social care sector itself, also needs to be recognised. The positive impact of the social care sector is felt on multiple levels; from the individuals receiving support from care workers and their loved ones, to its vast contribution to the UK economy, and the wellbeing of the population at large.

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Outstanding Care in a Crisis 2020 The winners were...

EachStep Blackley COMMUNITY INTEGRATED CARE Q: In what special ways did you rise to the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic? A: EachStep Blackley rose to the

The judges’ view The judges chose EachStep Blackley because they felt that they demonstrated outstanding transparency together with the ability to maintain the wellbeing of residents and staff as well as having a commitment to ensuring a safe and high quality of care.

challenges presented by Covid-19 by taking early and comprehensive action, to protect the people we support and our colleagues. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve implemented new digital ways for the people we support to maintain regular vital contact with their loved ones and friends. At EachStep we’re proud to have established a thriving dementia café, however during the pandemic we had to explore ways of creating virtual options for supporting our members bringing our café online. To maintain wellbeing and engagement, we invested in specialist games, iPads and crafts alongside hosting virtual gigs by local musicians and church services for all to enjoy. Nationally, EachStep Blackley has made an impact on the wider social care sector with interviews on BBC Breakfast and the BBC Panorama programme highlighting the reality of the Covid-19 pandemic on the home. We’re proud of all our colleagues for their continued dedication to care for the people we support in the most difficult of times, they are our heroes.

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Care Leadership 2020 The winner was...

AWARD CATEGORY SPONSORED BY:

Lorna Badrick TLC CARE Q: Are the qualities needed by a care leader different from those needed by a leader in other careers? A: Having led across many sectors there are of

The judges’ view Lorna is engaging, people focused and an inspirational and innovative leader that the judges would love to work with in their respective teams. She really was impressive and the judges admired her approach and passion!

course leadership qualities that are consistent across all careers – I am a great believer in being empowered to be who you are and in bringing yourself to work each and every day as authenticity, openness, transparency, and honesty are key to team member engagement and commitment. As a leader in care there is an even greater responsibility to lead in a personcentred way, build meaningful relationships with team members, coach, and mentor team members to fulfil and exceed their potential and champion all of our team members who each and every day make a positive difference to the lives of our residents. Our team in care give so much of themselves to others and as a leader in care it is essential for me to ensure that our team are cared for, supported, enabled, and recognised for their valuable contribution to society. It is an absolute honour to lead in the care sector and I work with the most amazing people who give 100% in all that they do, making the dreams and wishes of our residents come true. To be able to support our wonderful people in their vocation and to be there for them in their time of need is the most fulfilling part of my role. I am incredibly proud of our teams and it is my responsibility to ensure that our culture is rewarding, engaging, enabling, motivating, and caring. At TLC Care our values are at the heart of all we do, and we are one family working together to providing outstanding care and wellbeing for our residents and one another.

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Care Home Group 2020 The winners were...

AWARD CATEGORY SPONSORED BY:

Home From Home Care Q: Is a care home group more likely to achieve the high standards it strives for if it follows uniform and well proven practices or if it encourages its managers to follow their own individual instincts? The judges’ view Home From Home Care showed their quality in spades, demonstrating multiple Outstanding CQC ratings, and true innovation. Developing their own leaders and engaging their service users, the company had a refreshing approach to sharing new solutions across social care.

A: The answer to the question is yes on both

counts – the key being creativity aligned to data. This emanates from consistent, insightful and proven practices embedded across all homes, with knowledge retention supplanting knowledge fade. Home From Home Care (HFHC) has achieved this by creating an end to end digital platform which incorporates every aspect of daily routine, best practice and regulatory requirements, to achieve an informed, consistent and personalised approach, benefiting staff and improving the lives of individuals. At the point of delivery, staff act according to agreed procedures, the outcomes then informing and encouraging creative hands-on care delivery. This leads to intuitive solutions, which refresh the care plan, so driving continuous improvement and reflective practice. 11 years development means that real time data driven care is the everyday at HFHC. Data informs and, using codified tacit knowledge, makes each role increasingly specific to each staff member by recognising and matching their attributes to individuals. The result – more nuanced support for individuals from an increasingly precise understanding of the parameters for each role and each individual, empowering staff and unlocking their creativity. HFHC’s dynamic environment uses accessible retained knowledge as the foundation to create new knowledge, heightening personal awareness and so increasing Managers’ own instincts. This doesn’t just apply to managers as the question implies, but to all staff, at all levels. The fact is that data driven care makes every support worker a manager and, as circumstances require, every manager an effective support worker. This exponential empowerment is the democratisation of data, that creates a heightened sense of purpose and belonging, a virtuous circle where informed instinct is just one of the many wins. HFHC’s embedded ethos ensures that working for us is not just a job, but a gateway to a fulfilling career and enhanced personal life.

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Lifetime Achievement in Care 2020 The winner was...

AWARD CATEGORY SPONSORED BY:

Graham Stokes HC-ONE Q: Looking back over your brilliant career in care, what is it that you are most proud of? The judges’ view Graham’s contribution to our understanding of dementia and the importance of personcentred care cannot be overstated. His dedication and passion are an inspiration and his achievements truly represent a lifetime’s work.

A: I’ve been a clinical specialist in the

care of people living with dementia for over 30 years and on balance I am most proud of helping others realise that the person comes first, and their dementia comes second. In fact, in the early days it was more about getting people to appreciate that the belief that dementia is a terrible condition that destroys the person and leaves the body behind was false. We had never cared for shells or shadows. There was always a person there, a person with whom we share more in common with than what separates us. A person with needs, rights and feelings who because of a progressively worsening intellectual disability, a disability that eventually sweeps away memory, language and thought, is less easy to see, know and communicate with. Yet this is the reason to do all we can to understand and meet the needs and wishes of people who enter a world we can barely relate to. And in this I include all those affected by dementia, families and friends as well as those who need our support, and one day our care. Being with people who similarly ‘get it’, and so many times this has meant meeting people living with dementia has been uplifting and on more occasions than I can recall, inspiring. Talking to and teaching practitioners and students, and seeing their hearts and minds shift has been memorable, not only because I knew there were now even more people who ‘get it’ but most importantly knowing that there will now be more people with dementia living better lives. Better lives than in the days before, but truthfully better lives than we could have imagined 30 years ago.

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Care Personality 2020 The winner was...

Mark Adams COMMUNITY INTEGRATED CARE Q: Congratulations on identifying and rising so successfully to the challenges presented by the 2020 pandemic. What have you learnt from the experience and how has it changed your views and practice?

The judges’ view The judges said, “One voice emerged during the Covid-19 crisis to capture public and political attention. With government statements and action jarring with social care’s lived experience and distress, Mark Adams spoke out knowledgeably, with passion and anger. He made politicians wince and the care sector cheer as his devastating critique of government neglect went viral.”

A: The challenges represented

by the Covid-19 pandemic have been vast and varied. I’m incredibly proud of how we have managed our response to the pandemic, we have continually aimed to do what is right for our colleagues, the people we support, and everyone connected to our charity. What has really stood out for me is the response from the whole social care sector and our wider communities, in a digital world we have been able to communicate at pace and share key information like never before. Throughout, we have been able to work together to act swiftly and comprehensively to protect the people we support and our colleagues by developing best practice protocols. Overall, it has reaffirmed my view to make bold investments in people which we have demonstrated in our emergency pay response to recognise the added pressures faced by our colleagues, through to accessing the insight of leading scientists to ensure the best approaches. Looking to the future of social care, we know that we cannot go it alone and real change will come from the sector working together.

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Meet our category sponsors...

Avery Healthcare

CATEGORY SPONSOR

Avery Healthcare provides residential, dementia, nursing, step down and respite care through 57 high-quality homes in England, with several homes now rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. The group has one of the highest percentages of homes in the ‘Good’ category in the sector. We continually strive to innovate and differentiate through quality of care and a proactive focus on resident well-being and their lifestyle. Our offering is differentiated with sector-leading programmes in resident services, well-being and activity, and local community engagement meaningful to both residents and their families. Q: Why was supporting the Care Awards important to you? A: Resident well-being is a priority for Avery and sponsoring the category of Activities Co-ordinator was a natural choice. We seek to lead the sector in developing our comprehensive well-being programme that places quality of life, positive lifestyle and personal fulfilment at the forefront of care. Our established Well-being and Activity Model, alongside our unique evidence-based Well-being Measurement Tool, covers 15 key elements in the residents’ physical, psychological, and social needs. Individual Well-being Plans are developed with residents and their families, supporting choice, control, and independence. The Tool monitors wellbeing progress, so that the positive impacts can be recorded over time, shared with the family, and inform the future plan. Q: How will you continue to support the sector as we start to rebuild our economy? A: As with the whole UK social care sector, Avery has been severely stretched and challenged during the Covid-19 pandemic. Adapting quickly and learning fast has made us even more robust, though, enabling us to provide some of the safest places to be for those in care. Our goal is to re-instil confidence in the care sector for both existing and future residents and employees; our strategy will be to further invest in innovation and technology, alongside continuous professional development for all staff regardless of role, making the quality-of-service delivery fit to meet this new world. It has everyone’s well-being at its heart. The challenges of the pandemic and the resultant ‘new normal’ have not deflected. Q: What are your goals and strategy for 2021? A: Avery’s growth plan to provide more first-class care communities, to meet the increasing demand for quality senior care in the 21st century. We are therefore contributing towards economic and sector recovery by building new services, with two opening in 2021 and several more in 2022. We also maintain our continual investment programme for existing services, upgrading and enhancing over time to ensure that they deliver the best of environments to provide the best in care.

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Meet our category sponsors... CATEGORY SPONSOR

Barchester

Barchester Healthcare is one of the UK’s largest care providers predominantly supporting older people to live with dignity, respect and to continue to celebrate life. Barchester provides a premium care experience. Our core values of Respect, Integrity, Responsibility, Passion and Empowerment have been developed with our staff throughout Barchester. We understand that the best kind of care and support is one delivered by a whole team approach, and we have an internal ethos of #BarchesterTogether. Q: Why was supporting the Care Awards important to you? A: Caring Times is a trusted, well-respected title that represents the opinions and interests of the long term care sector. We felt it was important to support one of the most influential voices of our industry. The National Care Awards is the longest established annual awards for the care sector celebrating the very best people in the care sector, highlighting excellence and rewarding those who work tirelessly to provide consistently outstanding care. We think it is important to celebrate the pioneers of our sector and to thank them for their contribution. Q: How will you continue to support the sector as we start to rebuild our economy? A: We will continue to invest in all aspects of our business. We will invest in our staff by providing the best possible training, and from April 2021 onwards we will award pay increases that ensure that none of our staff are on the National Living Wage or the National Minimum Wage. We will continue to invest in our new build programme to bring our high quality care to more locations, along with further employment and we will continue to invest in our existing homes and hospitals to ensure they are the most comfortable for our residents and patients including the best facilities for residents, patients and staff and new technology to support the delivery of care. Q: What are your goals and strategy for 2021? A: Our goals for 2021 are: • To continue to develop our passionate, dedicated staff through our comprehensive training programme • To continue to recognise and reward our amazing individuals and teams with our sector leading Celebrating Success programme • To bring our luxury, best-in-class care home offering to new locations throughout the UK • To be constantly focussed on the delivery of the best possible care investing in the latest thinking to support this • To continue to develop our life enrichment offer, including virtual events and initiatives to support our residents and patients to celebrate life

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Meet our category sponsors... CATEGORY SPONSOR

Care UK

Care UK is one of the leading independent care home providers in the UK offering residential, nursing and specialist dementia care. With over 35 years of experience, our highly trained teams are experts in delivering award winning care that puts residents’ personal preferences, wellbeing, independence and safety at the heart of everything we do. Our commitment to delivering high quality care is reflected in our sectorleading quality ratings which have seen us achieve ‘Outstanding’ CQC ratings for 18 of our 125 care homes - that’s 17 per cent compared to an average of 4 per cent for the care home sector as a whole. We are trusted by over 6,500 families to deliver high quality care for their loved ones, ensuring every resident lives a fulfilling and meaningful life. Q: Why was supporting the Care Awards important to you? A: A year like no other, 2020 has been very challenging for everyone working in the social care sector. By sponsoring an award, we hope it has shown Care UK’s commitment to the sector as a whole and helped with much-needed recognition for the contribution made by those working in social care. Our amazing teams are dedicated to delivering the very highest quality of care to residents and we are always on the lookout for opportunities to celebrate and showcase their achievements. Q: How will you continue to support the sector as we start to rebuild our economy? A: Our continued focus on promoting the achievements of those living and working in our care homes helps to build a positive profile of the sector as a whole. We also use detailed research to understand what influences the decisions of those searching for care and provide them with key information and support. We believe this contributes towards boosting the care sector as the reassurance it provides leads to families seeing residential care in a positive and favourable way. Q: What are your goals and strategy for 2021? A: We continue to invest in opening new homes and plan to open another five in 2021. We will further expand on our training and reward programmes and continue to invest in technology, having seen the positive benefits of new tools for residents and their families. With the wellbeing and happiness of our teams and residents at the forefront, we will work with NHS colleagues to facilitate coronavirus vaccinations for residents and our colleagues. We want families to continue seeing each other as safely and regularly as possible so are very focused on investments which will support safe visiting opportunities.

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Meet our category sponsors...

Compass Associates

CATEGORY SPONSOR

Compass Associates is a leading recruitment consultancy who specialise in the independent care markets, covering Elderly, Nursing, Residential and Domiciliary for all mid-senior hires. The team are split by geographical location, to ensure full UK market coverage. Since our inception, we strive to provide an unparalleled level of service, achieved through in-depth industry knowledge, dedicated consultants who have spent years specialising in the markets they recruit into, and a leading network acquired through events attendance, contribution, and sponsorship. The Care Home team are one of the most respected, trusted, and sought-after names in the recruitment industry who have a track record of delivery time and again. Compass Associates has 6 core values: Professionalism & Integrity; Teamwork; Flexibility & Adaptability; Entrepreneurial Spirit; Delivery of Service and Professional Development. Our Mission has been to exceed the expectations of our customers by providing a high-quality, value-added service, which the team realise by living the company values in their day-to-day work. Q: Why was supporting the Care Awards important to you? A: We have supported the Care Awards for nearly a decade, and consider this prestigious event within the very DNA of the sector, such is its importance. Year after year, the team are proud to be able to attend and rub-shoulders with some of the most revered keyworkers in society, celebrating the work of the care sector. Not only does it give an opportunity to learn about the sector, speak with thought-leaders and influencers, but ensures valuable interaction in the most personable of industries. Q: How will you continue to support the sector as we start to rebuild our economy? A: Compass Associates will continue to support the industry by ensuring we are there whenever a Client picks up the phone needing outstanding staff; and want to reassure job seekers that we will do everything in our power to help you secure the right job for you, even during these most challenging of times. We understand the importance of the industry, and the need to make sure the right people are in the right role to support the most vulnerable in society. It is what we have always done, and will continue to do. Q: What are your goals and strategy for 2021? A: Post Covid it is essential that our team modifies in line with sector evolution. Health and safety has never been more critical, residents experiences never more important. Leaders within elderly care are the torch carriers for this new world and it is our aim in 2021 and beyond to ensure that our standards, precision and value add is as dynamic now as it has been throughout.

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Meet our category sponsors...

Court Cavendish

CATEGORY SPONSOR

Court Cavendish is Britain’s leading health and social care turnaround company and the driving force behind some of the UK’s largest and most successful care operator transformations. For the past 30 years, we have been a champion for kindness, excellence and pioneering development in care delivery. Q: Why was supporting the Care Awards important to you? A: Court Cavendish was delighted to sponsor the brand-new ‘Care Champion’ award, which seeks to recognise an individual who has made a significant, lifetime contribution to care delivery and has made a meaningful impact on people living in residential care. We wanted to recognise the ‘hidden heroes’ who have shown a tireless devotion to improving frontline care, acknowledging that there are many people in regional or central teams who are making a huge positive impact, but are not the frontline carers or bosses that awards traditionally celebrate. We wanted to make sure that everyone in the sector, no matter their role or specialism, had the opportunity to be recognised for their contribution to the delivery of high-quality care. This year’s winner, and her track record of advocacy, embodies this spirit. Q: How will you continue to support the sector as we start to rebuild our economy? A: I have long been an advocate for rewarding the vital contribution of the social care workforce. The pandemic has shown how important social carers are to not just the people they support, but to our society. I very much echo the sentiment that as we rebuild our economy, we must build back better and for the benefit of carers as well those receiving care. The pandemic highlighted the cracks in the sector on an unprecedented scale and the consequences of having a social care system that is not fit for purpose. Court Cavendish will continue to build on our track record of transforming care organisations and supporting them through challenging times, so that we can collectively rebuild stronger and able to deliver exemplary care to the most vulnerable in our society. Q: What are your goals and strategy for 2021? A: As I have done for many years, I will continue to be a vocal campaigner for social care reform, advocating to those in power for the need to offer the sector a new, long-term financial settlement that finally puts the social care sector on a stable footing and allows providers to invest in their homes and their teams. As we hope that, following the vaccine roll-out, the pandemic will start to move behind us, it is time for Government to recognise the bravery and contribution of frontline social carers and to reward them with better training, higher pay, and improved career prospects. After several delays in securing reform, an unprecedented crisis must be the wake-up call that politicians need to deliver the positive and meaningful change we so desperately want.

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Meet our category sponsors... CATEGORY SPONSOR

Domus Recruitment

Domus Recruitment was established in 2009, when the goal was set out to bring exceptionally talented people from the recruitment industry together to provide a market leading service to the care and healthcare sectors. Our approach is consultative, professional and results driven, provided by knowledgeable, highly experienced consultants. Our essential market expertise means we can guide you through all the stages to ensure that you will be a market leading consultant in no time! We aim to add value and smoothness to every part of the recruitment process and since our inception, our customers have paid testament to our services and expressed their satisfaction time after time. Q: Why was supporting the Care Awards important to you? A: Supporting the Care Awards is always such an honour for us at Domus Recruitment. We find it a humbling experience to see the amazing care workers who are truly remarkable ambassadors for their industry. This year in particular was very special as we judged The Care Newcomer Award, we thought the introduction of this award was brilliant! Q: How will you continue to support the sector as we start to rebuild our economy? A: As a company, we are really looking forward to being part of the healthcare sector’s recovery after such a difficult year for many! We will continue to support the sector in providing them with the best talent the industry has to offer. Q: What are your goals and strategy for 2021? A: As of this year, we are delighted to announce that we have been approved to supply healthcare and clinical staff to our amazing NHS! We look forward to working alongside such a brilliant service that has taken care of the country in such a crucial time. A huge thank you to the amazing team at The Caring Times for making the awards this year possible under tough circumstances!

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Meet our category sponsors...

Hallmark Care Homes

CATEGORY SPONSOR

Hallmark Care Homes is a family-run care provider with a vision to be recognised as the leading provider of high-quality, relationship-centred care for all. We provide industry-leading, residential, nursing and dementia care to over 1,000 residents across 20 locations in England and Wales and have won 100 awards for our care and the design of our homes. We are committed to making a difference, to challenging the everyday and to celebrating success. Above all, we value people and believe in encouraging them to find their potential. Q: Why was supporting the Care Awards important to you? A: At Hallmark Care Homes, we have long known the dedication of carers to residents in our homes and we never stop being inspired by the depth of those unique relationships. Through the events of the last year, that dedication has shown that it has no bounds. In supporting the CT awards, we respect and shine a light on the extraordinary work that carers do to protect and enhance the lives of those in their care, each and every day. Q: How will you continue to support the sector as we start to rebuild our economy? A: Care workers are the real heroes and we intend to continue raising their profile through our work with our charity foundation, the Hallmark Care Homes’ Foundation which supports charities in the social care sector, as well as Championing Social Care. Most recently, we have donated £20,000 to The Open University which will support unpaid carers with access to free education and we cannot wait to see the results of this programme. Our Founder and Chair, Avnish Goyal is also the Chair of Care England. As Chairman, Avnish plans to continue to lobby government and remind politicians how key social care is to the wellbeing of so many people and the number of jobs it provides. Q: What are your goals and strategy for 2021? A: We are investing in the future! Hallmark has eight new exciting developments in the pipeline, which are to be built by our sister company, Savista Developments. This includes the first of Santhem Residences unique assisted living developments, at Shenfield, which will open this summer. Innovation is important to us, so that current and future residents can continue to live active, interesting and fulfilled lives. To support this, we have recruited an experienced Head of Innovation and launched a fun innovation challenge for team members with the aim of improving our care provision.

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Meet our category sponsors... CATEGORY SPONSOR

HC-One, The Kind Care Company HC-One, The Kind Care Company, provides residential, nursing and dementia care services. We support those in our care to lead their best lives, and it is our mission to be the first choice for families, our colleagues and our commissioners, serving at the heart of each of our communities. Q: Why was supporting the Care Awards important to you?

Our winners – Julie Loscombe and Graham Stokes A: It is incredibly important to recognise and celebrate the excellence demonstrated by inspiring teams and individuals across the sector who go above and beyond to provide consistently exceptional care.

Q: How will you continue to support the sector as we start to rebuild our economy? A: The UK’s social care workforce will play a pivotal role in the sector’s future, and as a nation we must invest in, and professionalise our care staff. This will help to raise their status and recognition of the current workforce, and encourage more talent to join the sector as the demands for care increase. Given the social care workforce’s incredible contribution to the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for reform that improves the status of care staff has been exemplified. It remains imperative that the funding of the sector is reformed. This will support not only our valued care staff but also the care that is provided in settings across the country. We will support the wider sector to call for social care to get the recognition it needs and deserves. Q: What are your goals and strategy for 2021? A: At the time of writing (January 2021), we all know that there are still some challenging months ahead. We are encouraged by the roll out of the vaccine and we hope that this, along with the infection control measures in place, regular testing of colleagues and residents, and the introduction of visitor testing, means that our homes can be safe and open as we go further into 2021, so we can safely welcome more visitors back to our homes. We are also looking forward to working closely with our colleagues, residents, their loved ones, and commissioning partners to be true to our mission of being the 1st choice for families, our colleagues and our commissioners, serving at the heart of each of our communities. As part of this we are continuing to invest in our colleagues, from their wellbeing through to their professional development, and to invest in our homes, including refurbishments to enhance the living environments, as well as introducing new technology and digitisation to support the way we provide kind care.

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Meet our category sponsors...

Lifetime Training

CATEGORY SPONSOR

At Lifetime Training we pride ourselves on delivering high quality training through outstanding service to 20,000 learners per year. Our 24 years’ experience in apprenticeship delivery in our core sectors of Health and Social Care, Hospitality, Retail and Active Leisure have built us a strong reputation recognised by the many award achievements we have to our credit. With a national delivery team, we can scale our delivery to the requirement of our many employer partners, whatever your size. Q: Why was supporting the Care Awards important to you? A: Supporting the Care Awards is important to Lifetime Training as they are recognised as the sector leading Awards, and a true celebration of the teams and individuals who give themselves tirelessly to improving the sector. It is a true pleasure to be part of such an uplifting evening, which brings the reality to the proceedings and recognises the heroes of the sector in a truly inspirational way. Q: How will you continue to support the sector as we start to rebuild our economy? A: At Lifetime we are dedicated to supporting our partners in rebuilding through skills development. We are passionate that investing in developing people though industry recognised training will not only improve personal lives, but also bring business benefits. We also offer the UKs No.1 apprenticeship recruitment service, that will support those seeking employment an opportunity to gain a lifechanging position and their first steps to an excellent career in the Care sector. Q: What are your goals and strategy for 2021? A: To continue to adapt and work closely with our partners to provide high quality and impactful apprenticeship training that supports their business and their people.

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Meet our category sponsors...

Ontex Healthcare

CATEGORY SPONSOR

Ontex is a leading global provider of continence care products, best known in the UK and Ireland for its brands iD and Lille. Our company ethos is to make a difference by building a world where everyone has access to affordable, personal hygiene products. That’s the world we are trying to build, step by step. We want to create new experiences in personal hygiene for our customers and consumers, while developing our people and delivering sustainable value to our shareholders, partners, customers and suppliers. Q: Why was supporting the Care Awards important to you? A: Supporting the Caring Times awards was important to us for many reasons. Firstly, because Continence Management is a key part of care home life, which Ontex is proud to support. Last year in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic care homes have been particularly impacted with the increased cost of PPE and we want to contribute to reducing overspend in care homes. Secondly, we value our relationship with Caring Times magazine and want to support vital and worthy initiatives like this, which help to give something back. Q: How will you continue to support the sector as we start to rebuild our economy? A: As we move forward as a nation to try and rebuild our economy, our focus and pledge is to upskill and support care staff in the management of continence care with the launch of new online modules to support the sector in 2021. Q: What are your goals and strategy for 2021? A: Sustainability is a fundamental part of our strategy moving forwards as we aim to achieve zero waste to landfill and carbon neutral operations by 2030. This year the company has set out an upscaled sustainability strategy with three clear goals:

1. Recycling and recycled packaging - 100% of all packaging will be recyclable by 2030 and they will increase renewable and recycled plastic in their plastic packaging. 2. Zero production to waste - By 2030 all Ontex production sites will have zero waste to landfill and they will be in a position to turn waste into resources. 3. Circular solutions - Circularity will be a prime design consideration for absorbent hygiene products. To find out more please visit https://ontex.com

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Meet our category sponsors... CATEGORY SPONSOR

TLC Care

At TLC Care we provide care, wellbeing and fine dining in a stunning environment for our residents across eight homes in Cambridge, Surrey, Hertfordshire, Barnet and North London. Our residents, team members and relatives are at the heart of all we do and our values of truth, love and compassion are embedded throughout our organisation. Our fantastic homes and outstanding contributions to the lives of our residents and team members have been recognised externally: we are the only UK care provider to be awarded Platinum status by Investors in People and our teams were also successful at the International Property Awards, National Care Awards and Great British Care Awards. In addition to being Hospitality Assured accredited, TLC Care was also named Gold Employer of the Year by Investors in People in 2019. Q: Why was supporting the Care Awards important to you?

A: We are incredibly proud of our sector and fully recognise the contribution of each and every team member to providing outstanding care to our residents. Care sector teams go over and above every day to make a difference to the lives of others and make our residents’ wishes come true. Now more than ever, we feel it is hugely important to celebrate these contributions and to recognise, reward and support top talent across the sector. The feeling of being a finalist in the National Care Awards is phenomenal and to support the awards is always an honour.

Q: How will you continue to support the sector as we start to rebuild our economy?

A: The global pandemic has shown even more than before how resilient, compassionate and caring our teams are and the positive difference they make to society. This is now starting to be recognised on a national scale and we would like to do more to showcase the benefits of both living in a care home and developing careers in the care sector. Career progression, training and coaching are outstanding features within our sector, and more can be done to attract individuals to seek out these opportunities and make a difference in the lives of others. We continue to invest in the entry and development of new talent in the sector through our comprehensive apprenticeship programme, funding OSCE and CIPD accreditation for team members regardless of their role. We also continue to share our insight with other providers and sector stakeholders, such as our Covid-19 response case study (shared with Care England, CQC and NICE) and our approach to wellbeing (shared with a cluster of North London CCGs and care providers). Q: What are your goals and strategy for 2021?

A: In 2021 we will continue on our Outstanding journey as we continually improve the holistic experience for all of our residents, enabling them to achieve their goals and live meaningful and fulfilling lives within our care homes. We will take our team member experience to the next level with an even greater focus on team member wellness and wellbeing; both of which enable our team members to have the support they need to deliver outstanding services to our residents whilst making sure that their needs are met. We will be developing new strategies to further enhance the care experience we provide, in partnership with internal and external stakeholders and as always working as one TLC family, in line with our values of truth, love and compassion to continually be the positive difference in the lives of others.

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Meet our programme sponsor...

carehome.co.uk

CATEGORY SPONSOR

carehome.co.uk is the UK’s leading care home review website. We list over 17,500 care homes and have published to date over 185,000 reviews, all of which are available on our site to help those looking for a care home make the right, informed decision. On top of this we run the UK’s number one dedicated care home sector jobs board with around 5,000 jobs advertised at any one time. Our aim is to help place each resident in the most suitable care home for their needs and equip the decision makers with the right level of information they need to make informed, confident decisions. To help ensure this we take our reviews process extremely seriously with a dedicated team verifying every review we receive before they are published on carehome.co.uk. We constantly look at ways to display the most helpful information possible on each care home’s profile page, ensuring all the relevant information is displayed in one place so easy comparisons of care homes can be made. Q: Why was supporting the Care Awards important to you? A: We have supported the Caring Times Awards for many years and for 2020, more than ever, we felt it was important be involved especially with the incredibly challenging time the care home sector has had and will continue to have over the coming months. Supporting the awards also involves us being part of the judging process and we take delight in learning about each care home’s amazing achievements. This year we sponsored the Awards Programme and was part of the judging panel for Carer of the Year, a huge responsibility. It was a great opportunity to see the levels of dedication and how hard carers continue to work when looking after residents. Q: How will you continue to support the sector as we start to rebuild our economy? A: As soon as the first lockdown was announced, we knew the sector faced immense challenges and we looked at ways we could support care homes through our technology. We developed a virtual tour booking facility and a platform to give COVID related updates to help ease the concerns of the families and residents. This has been available to care homes through their carehome.co.uk profile page. Q: What are your goals and strategy for 2021? A: Our goals for the next twelve months are to continue to look at ways to support care homes in navigating the remainder, and hopefully soon, the aftermath of the pandemic. We are looking at more efficient ways to help place residents in care homes to give a much needed boost for the sector while continuing to build on our original ethos of helping care seekers become better informed. We have also built a dedicated Advice section (carehome.co.uk/advice) covering topics such as Paying for Care, Legal Advice and Coronavirus Advice as well as a Support section for Care Homes and Care Seekers. We have an excellent creative team behind these sections with masses of ideas and we will be adding content throughout the year.

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Experienced brokers Trusted advisors Healthcare specialists

Christie & Co are recognised market leaders in the widest spectrum of healthcare related business property, including childcare, specialist care, elderly care/senior living, medical (dental, pharmacy, GP’s and clinics) and primary care.

Over 85 years of progressive growth and development behind us.

81 transactional and advisory professionals across our network of 15 o ces, in the UK.

Our healthcare team sold over 65% of the individually transacted care homes in 2020.

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