Great work from local carers leads to award nominations

Stephen Vance, Ann McToal and Diane Gracey all work for Mears Care NI Lisburn Branch– the former pair are home care workers who have been rewarded as two of three finalists in the best Domiciliary Carer category, while trainer Diane is one of a trio of people up for the best Training Initiative gong.

Stephen’s drive is well-known amongst colleagues – and he is nominated after repeatedly visiting a client in a remote area several times during adverse winter weather and fighting through bad weather to fix the client’s burst pipes after plumbers were unable to make a call out. These acts of dedication prevented the client from being admitted to a nursing home and Mears has received numerous compliments on his behalf.

Ann’s nomination is an acknowledgement of her personal touch. The ex-hairdresser visits service users regularly in her own time and will wash and cut their hair free of charge because they are not able to get to the hairdressers themselves. She is renowned for treating everyone she cares for as individuals with their own personal problems and realises how small acts of kindness can change a person’s whole outlook on life and make them feel good about themselves.

Senior staff at Mears rate Diane’s training so highly they see it as vital to the organisation’s quality of care, with one saying: “I believe the excellent standard of care provided to our clients is due to the excellent training they receive.”

Mears Manager Joan Telford said: “For us it’s more than a business, we deal with people’s lives, and the reason I put these people forward for the awards is because they have gone over and above what anyone could ever ask of them.

“Our service users and their families have come forward several times to talk about all the things Stephen and Ann have done in the community, beyond what is expected. Stephen used to be a plumber and when one of our service users – whose family were all on holiday – had frozen pipes he battled through the adverse weather conditions to visit him and fix the problem, even though no other plumber could make the trip.

“Ann is an ex-hairdresser, and a number of her clients cannot get out and about. She has wash and cut several ladies hair free of charge, and it has given the service users a new lease of life. One lady in particular is now socialising more, and visiting the bingo within the FOLD housing, it has made a huge difference to her lifestyle.

“Diane is an excellent trainer with a sound knowledge and understanding of the Domiciliary and N.I.S.C.C standards which is reflected in how she delivers our training. Each member of staff is treated as an individual and Diane ensures their specific training needs are met. I have no doubt this has had a huge impact in the excellent standard of care our service users receive and I firmly believe that Diane plays a fundamental part in that by equipping our carers to do the job. I can’t praise her enough.”

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 are being sponsored by Priory Group, who run seven homes in Counties Antrim and Down. Potential nominations were scrutinised by an independent panel of judges before being shortlisted for a gong. The awards, compèred by local TV personality Julian Simmons, will be presented at a Gala evening on Wednesday September 5 in the Ramada Hotel, Shaws Bridge, Belfast.