Congratulations are in order for Swanton Colleagues in the Northeast after they won big prizes in their regional heat of the Great British Care Awards 2023.
Aaron Risker from SCS Sunderland, Amanda Raine and Chloe Parker from Eastcliffe and Anthony Risker from The Grove all won their categories, while Kelly Richardson got a highly commended honour.
In the Support Worker Award final, Aaron was named the winner as the judges felt they went above and beyond to care for the people they support.
The judges said: “Aaron is caring, even before he started his current role. He wants the people in his care to be independent and wants the best for them, going as far as to change the rota to accommodate them and staying in the hospital with them for five days to ease their anxiety.”
The Home Care Team Award went to Swanton’s Eastcliffe service, headed up by Registered Manager Amanda Raine and Scheme Manager Chloe Parker.
The judges said: “The Eastcliffe team are an amazing team. Bringing autistic individuals out of residential into the community changes the individual’s life and allows them to live to the best of their abilities. The hard work and dedication of this team is outstanding. Their compassion and loyalty are well recognised.”
At The Grove, Anthony Risker took home the Co-production Award for his excellent leadership.
Anthony was hailed for his “great communication and accessibility”.
The judges added, “Co-production has been used to direct the experience of everybody from the point of entering the building, training of staff, through to daily care-planning and person choice.
“The service users are absolutely integral to the support offered by The Grove. They play an important role in creating the service offerings as well as their delivery, even including deciding which staff members will deliver them.”
Finally, in The Workforce Development category, Practice Development Manager Kelly Richardson came highly commended.
The judges said: “Kelly is clearly an exceptional workforce development professional, committed to ensuring staff are happy, motivated and learning. She should be proud of all her hard work.”
Swanton Chief Operating Officer (England) Tom Pick said that the awards were well-deserved and made the entire organisation proud.
Tom said: “I want to congratulate our exceptional winners and thank them for all the hard work they do day in, day out.
“To be recognised for excellence in your field is a cause for huge celebration, and we couldn’t be prouder of their achievements.
“We’re lucky to have so many dedicated and talented care professionals at Swanton, whose efforts enhance the lives of the people we support.”
