The finalists of the Worcestershire Health and Social Care Awards 2022 have been announced.
The awards are being staged by Newsquest – publishers of the Worcester News, Malvern Gazette, Evesham Journal, Bromsgrove & Droitwich and Redditch Advertisers and The Shuttle in conjunction with the University of Worcester.
Judging is now complete and the three finalists of The Care Home Worker Award category can be revealed.
Tracey Gwin
Tracey Gwin, of the Brook Court Care Home, in Kidderminster, has been described as a great support to her colleagues by her nominator.
Tracey is the head housekeeper at the care home and ensures the facility is always kept clean, as well as spending time getting to know residents so that she can anticipate their needs.
She is said to be a great support to her colleagues, ensuring everyone works to provide the best care for residents.
Tracey even stepped in when the head chef was ill, using her background in catering to go above and beyond for the residents.
She was also described as a highly motivated, extremely reliable, conscientious and committed individual, who "runs around like a roadrunner" to ensure she is providing the best possible care.
Her commitment to the job lead to her nomination, and her kind, understanding and professional nature ensure she is well loved by all residents and colleagues.
Guido Prister
Guido Prister is said to "bring joy to so many people without even realising it, with the kindest soul and an infectious laugh."
The 22-year-old receptionist, from Sanctuary Care, Worcester, first joined the home as an activities coordinator in October 2021.
Every week, Guido is said to come in on at least one, often two of his days off, to spend time with the residents and support with activities and trips out into the community.
Out of his own money, on a national day devoted to care workers, Guido visited the care home at 6am on his day off, decorated it with posters and signs with words of thanks and appreciation, leaving home-baked brownies and gluten-free cakes, plus fruit for his colleagues to enjoy.
He is said that supporting residents to enjoy things they love doing is key to enriching their lives, and regularly goes above his job role to ensure the residents are happy.
Reece Welsted
Reece Welsted is a young carer whose commitment to the role led to a high praising nomination from a resident's family member.
Reece, of Chandos Lodge, in Stourbridge, went to great lengths to ensure a resident was made comfortable on their transition to the home, contacting the family every day with updates at the peak of Covid 19, during the lockdown.
Reece recognised the difficulties that lockdown presented and was able to put the family at ease with his kindness and humour.
He is said to create a person-centred approach, with a strong focus on ensuring residents stay as independent as they can for as long as they can.
He was said to have worked tirelessly in a very small team, for long hours, whilst always remaining positive and cheerful despite the very challenging circumstances.
The nominator said that this type of young individual is a rarity and should receive recognition for his total commitment to the care sector.
Kate Symmonds
Another of our finalists is Kate Symonds, who is deputy manager of Blossom House Residential Home in Malvern.
The 32-year-old has worked in care for 12 years and has always occupied roles within care homes or in domiciliary care.
Starting as an activities coordinator at Blossom House in 2017 she has progressed through the ranks into a senior position.
Kate, who lives in Whitbourne was praised by a colleague for being a “keen learner” and always being “very active through the home”.
She has been described as a “true asset to the team" who goes "above and beyond”.
During the pandemic, she joined the covid response team and was unable to see her own family keep the residents safe.
Kate's work ethic is said to be motivational and inspiring to all team members around her.
The Care Home Worker Award is kindly sponsored by Clarendon Care Group – exceptional care homes, where the quality of care ensures residents feel safe, secure, valued and cared for.
The awards will culminate in a celebrity-backed virtual ceremony streamed on the Worcester News Facebook page on Thursday, October 13 at 7pm when the winner of each category will be announced.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here