Care heroes honoured at prestigious awards ceremony
Celebrating its third year, the event honours outstanding talent within Agincare, presenting awards in categories such as Care Worker of the Year, Care Team of the Year, Customer Service of the Year, Rising Star, and the Agincare Hero Medal.
The ceremony featured Jane Townson, Homecare Association's Chief Executive, as the guest of honour. She praised the dedication of care workers and discussed the future of the social care sector before joining Agincare Founder and Chairman Derek Luckhurst, and Chief Executive Raina Summerson to present awards to 15 deserving winners.
Jane said:
"It was such an honour to be invited to the Agincare Awards to celebrate the incredible work of Agincare’s care professionals and support teams. Events like this are a highlight of my role.
"It was so inspiring and heart-warming to hear stories of the incredible kindness and compassion everyone shows every day. It’s truly an outstanding achievement to be recognised in this way in a large company with so many amazing people”.
Winners included the Devon Project team, who received the Team of the Year Award for their exceptional work in reablement and end-of-life care, and Zara Sadiq from the Medway supported living team, who was honoured with the Rising Star Award.
Jamie Hepburn from Extra Care schemes in Essex was named Registered Manager of the Year, and Luminita Bunghez from the Weymouth Home Care Team won the Apprentice of the Year Award.
Laura Rawlings received the Care and Support Worker of the Year Award for her transformative work at Furlong Close supported living community in Wiltshire, presented by Lee Wilkins from the event's main sponsor, The Commercial Law Practice.
The latter part of the ceremony focused on The Will Mitchell Award for Outstanding Achievement, won by Crecy Care Home in Weymouth in recognition of their longstanding success supporting people living with complex mental health conditions.
The event culminated with the event’s most prestigious award, The Agincare Hero Medal, awarded to five team members for exceptional feats both within and outside of their roles.
Agincare Chief Executive Raina Summerson said:
“The Agincare Heroes Awards celebrate the achievements of exceptional people from our extraordinary workforce that truly embody the heart and spirit of not only Agincare, but the wider social care sector as a whole.”
An expert judging panel selected the winners from hundreds of nominations submitted by those receiving care, their families, health and social care professionals, Agincare colleagues, and the general public.
Agincare Founder and Chairman Derek Luckhurst said:
“Our care workers are the lifeblood of Agincare. They are hard-working men and women who provide care and support to thousands of people in over 85 locations nationwide. We continue to invest heavily in the training and development of our teams so that they can deliver the high-quality care that has built our excellent reputation over many years.”
The awards were supported by key partners who are passionate about recognising the incredible contribution of Agincare teams. These include main sponsor The Commercial Law Practice, award sponsor CB Reid, partner sponsors Bates Office Services and Wessex Plumbing and Heating.
