Celebrating the Best of the Best at the 2019 Barchester Care Awards

Barchester Healthcare, the UK’s third largest care provider, recognised and rewarded the best of their employees at the Barchester Care Awards 2019 in Manchester at The Midland Hotel on the 3rd of October.

The awards celebrate staff and volunteers who go the extra mile for the benefit of residents and patients living in Barchester care homes and independent mental health hospitals. There were 18 categories which included ‘Registered Nurse of the Year’, won by Liliana Ungureanu from Bryn Ivor Lodge Care Home in Cardiff; and ‘Lifetime Achievement of the Year’, which was won by Tracy Morgan from Awel-Y-Mor Care Centre in Swansea, and ‘Chef of the Year’, which was won by Melvyn Knights, the Head Chef at Wimbledon Beaumont Care Home in Wimbledon, London.

Special awards of the night included the ‘Volunteer of the Year’ award which was presented to Rory Dunne, a young volunteer at Longueville Court Care Home for his efforts to prevent loneliness in a healthcare setting based on his own experiences, and another to the Hospitality Manager at Castle Park Care Home in Sutton, Hull Patricia Burnett, who was presented with the ‘Hospitality Champion of the Year’ award for her quick-thinking, life-saving efforts performing CPR on someone who had taken ill within her local community, which she credited to her Barchester training.

More than 1,900 nominations were received from colleagues, friends, neighbours, and residents from Barchester homes and hospitals across the UK, and all entries were of a very high standard. There were 79 shortlisted divisional winners across the UK who were then interviewed by a panel of judges for the final round. On the 3rd of October, the divisional winners, specially invited guests and friends all gathered at a special awards ceremony, where the national titles and trophies were given to the winning homes and individuals, alongside a £500 gift voucher by Barchester’s CEO Dr Pete Calveley.

Pete, the presenter for the night and a judge for two categories said that “This event is all about recognising our incredible staff for their contributions to care at our Barchester homes and hospitals, and celebrating their dedication to not only the individuals we care for, but to their teams, their communities and to the wider business.  It’s always a hugely enjoyable and moving event. The awards recognise individuals who have worked hard to celebrate the lives of those who live with and are cared by us here at Barchester. They recognise people who promote our key values of dignity, independence, responsibility, integrity, and have a passion for person-centred care, with a strong commitment to our overall purpose of providing a premium caring experience.

It is always inspiring to hear how each role at Barchester contributes to the experience of the people that we care for, but it’s so much more than that. It is the passion they bring to their career, to working as a team, to volunteering their time, to utilising their best skills, and I am proud to be able to honour each of our amazing staff for all that they give.”

Jane Aitken, the Senior General Manager of Canmore Lodge Care Home in Dunfermline and the national winner for the General Manager of the Year said of her win that, “I am very proud, and very honoured to be receiving this award. We work hard here at Barchester with a focus on the people we care for, and not for accolades, but it really is very special to be recognised in this way.”

Genevieve Glover, HR Director and a judge for two categories said the occasion was “A great night of celebrating success. The Barchester Care Awards is our biggest recognition event of the year and the teams across Barchester Healthcare homes and hospitals truly deserve to be recognised for the incredible work that they do every day. We’re all looking forward to next years’ awards as the company and our teams continue to work hard to improve the quality of care in our homes and hospitals!””

Barchester Healthcare is one of the UK’s largest care providers supporting older people and those with mental health conditions to live independent lives with dignity and respect. Providing a wide range of services for a variety of needs, Barchester Healthcare supports over 11,000 residents and patients across 200 homes for the elderly and six independent mental health hospitals across the UK.