East Midlands have 3 shortlisted finalists at the Great British Care Awards
Consensus are delighted to have 3 shortlisted finalists in The Care Home Registered Manager Award at this year’s Great British Care Awards 2021, which are a series of regional events throughout the UK and are a celebration of excellence across the care sector. The purpose of the awards is to pay tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work.
In total Consensus have 12 shortlisted finalists in 7 categories across Great British Care Regional Awards.
The East Midlands Gala Awards evening, which is taking place on the 25th of November in Nottingham, offers a unique opportunity to celebrate the successes of individuals, teams and businesses throughout the UK – people who really do make a positive impact on people’s lives.
Our positive, inclusive and dedicated Service Managers…
The Care Home Registered Manager Award demonstrates the Care Home Registered Manager who has demonstrated a high level of expertise together with exceptional skills in managing the complex business of running a care home. A Manager who shows vision in developing person-centred care and supporting staff to meet the ever-changing needs of the residents.
Bruno Barbosa – De Parys
Since Bruno Barbosa became Manager of Bedfordshire’s residential service De Parys, he has been responsible for driving ambitious results as well as setting the positive, inclusive and person-centred tone of the service. Bruno has established a highly motivated and experienced team who share his aspirations for supported individuals to become more independent and fulfil their potential at their own pace.
Not only this but Bruno ensures that supported individuals are involved in shaping every aspect of their lives: they hold monthly house meetings and choose menus and activities for the next month and make decisions about how their home is run. Bruno and the team have helped individuals to develop daily living skills and independence, supporting them to attend appointments, manage their finances and budget for the things they want to do.
During the pandemic, Bruno and his colleagues went above and beyond to ensure the people they support were safe. They each spent several consecutive days working night and day shifts, making significant sacrifices in their personal lives, to minimise the risk of Covid-19 entering the service and ensure the continued health, safety and wellbeing of everyone. Themed dinner nights, bingo and movie nights, normally attended outside the home, were introduced to help maintain a sense of normality and fun.
Olanike Owopetu – The Heathers
Olanike is Manager of The Heathers, a residential service in Kettering, Northamptonshire. Since becoming Service Manager, she has created a nurturing, caring and safe environment for the supported individuals and her team. She guides and coaches colleagues, ensuring they feel confident and supported, and she ensures supported individuals’ support needs are met while maximising their opportunities to take part in meaningful activities, learn life skills and grow in independence. Not only that but Olanike has built excellent relationships with individuals’ families, and they receive regular updates from her. Thanks to her open-door policy, relatives have the peace of mind that they can come to her with any concerns whenever they wish.
Olanike is always looking for new and creative ways to improve the service and quality of life for everyone who lives and works there. She has ensured the team feels valued by introducing initiatives like the ‘compliments jar’ – where staff acknowledge examples of excellent support – and the ‘employee of the month’ scheme. Colleagues who go above and beyond receive a certificate in an informal presentation.
Olanike focuses on empowering supported individuals to achieve exceptional outcomes. She leads on activity planning, ensuring individuals can take part in activities of their choice, from volunteering in the community to art classes, drama and sports. She also organises activities at The Heathers, recently hosting a pizza and PJ party, and her team-building days involve supported individuals, colleagues and relatives.
Emma Painter – Heather Holmes
Emma Painter has over 23 years’ experience in supporting people with learning disabilities and autism. She inspires and empowers her team to focus on a common purpose – delivering outstanding care and support. If you ask anyone how they would describe Emma, they will say she is a kind and vivacious soul, who people from all walks of life naturally warm to.
As soon as she joined Heather Holmes in Kettering as Manager, Emma began to gain the team’s trust. She has instilled an inclusive culture and the team feels valued and respected, which in turn has empowered the staff to use innovation to come up with new ideas on how to improve the quality of life for the people they support.
For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic the team produced an in-home shop to create a sense of normality for the supported individuals so they could continue life going about their usual routines. And when restrictions meant that Birthdays and Christmases were undetermined, the team pulled together to ensure no one missed out and the celebrations continued as usual. Storm troopers were organised as a birthday surprise for an individual who is a Star Wars fan and at Christmas, a relative dressed as Santa and paid their loved one a garden visit.
The supported individuals and their families feel happy knowing their needs and goals are at the heart of everything Emma and her team does. Even in the local community, Heather Holmes is loved. This was shown when the local fire service lined up outside the service for the weekly ‘clap for carers’ to show their solidarity and thanks towards the service.
