Award for local care worker

Dan Quinones, who works at the Cornfield Care Centre in the town, overcame two other finalists to win the award for best Care Home Carer in Northern Ireland – reward for the selfless dedication to his role which has seen colleagues call him “the breath of fresh air we all need”.

Manager Christine Thompson said: “Dan came over from the Philippines in 2009. He had been an engineer and was in charge of a team of people at a water treatment plant. He’d never been a carer before, but his wife is a nurse with us, and when we interviewed him it was obvious he was a very caring person.”

The awards, compèred by local TV personality Julian Simmons, were presented at a Gala evening on Wednesday in the Ramada Hotel, Shaws Bridge, Belfast.

Julian said: “It means a lot to me to be asked to host these awards and be part of an evening that rewards people who work so hard simply because they want to look after others.

“Dan’s story is incredible, and just shows the kind of man he is and just how genuinely good he is and how much he cares for those he looks after. To win an award like this only a couple of years into his job is impressive, and to do it only a couple of years after moving to our wee country even more so. He is an inspiration.

“That’s the most important thing about this evening, and the work these people do – it’s a positive thing, they help make people happy and improve their lives. I can’t think of another group of people more deserving of a glitzy party in their honour.”

IHCP Chief Executive Hugh Mills also expressed his delight at being able to reward hard-working carers, saying: “These awards are a great way to put the spotlight on the tremendous efforts of care staff throughout Northern Ireland.

“There are thousands of people in the care industry who go to work with a smile on their faces and put in a massive amount of time and energy to helping people in our society who face a wide variety of difficulties. I’d like to wholeheartedly congratulate all the winners and express my thanks to them for their wonderful efforts.”

Manager Christine continued: “He’s very quiet and unassuming, but all the residents love him. They call him ‘Dan the Man’. Nothing is too big a task, he stays late after shifts whenever anything has to be finished, he’s been doing his NVQ and QCF qualifications since taking up post and has almost completed his Level 3, his tutor stated ‘he is the best student in his class, I can’t praise him enough.’ If I had 100 of him I could take over the world. He’s a lovely man but never talks himself up and I think he’s exactly the sort of person that deserves this award.”

The Cornfields home also took home the Best in Continence Care award – a gong which had no specified nominees, unlike the other seven categories, but which was presented on the night.

The Care Awards are an opportunity to recognise the quality and commitment of staff working in the Independent Health and Social Care sector in Northern Ireland. Outstanding staff will be acknowledged for the enormous contribution they make to society and the individuals they care for. The seven award categories attracted over 120 nominations for community care staff, including those working in nursing and residential homes and those providing care for people in their own homes.

This year’s awards were sponsored by Priory Group, who run seven homes in Counties Antrim and Down. Nominations were assessed by an independent panel of judges before being shortlisted for a gong.