Care team are national finalists

A team of carers helping local people live independently in their own homes has been shortlisted for the top national award of Support and Care Team of the Year.

The Care Plus domiciliary care team offers support including personal care, assistance with everyday tasks and the relief of loneliness, helping people stay healthy and active as they grow older. The team learned this week that it has been shortlisted for a Housing Heroes award, recognising the difference they make to people’s lives and the acclaim they receive from residents, families and colleagues.

The Housing Heroes awards recognise the ‘unsung heroes’ of the sector and are presented at the Housing 2017 annual conference. The Support and Care Team of the Year award acknowledges that helping some of the most vulnerable people in society is a crucial part of the work of housing organisations. The title is for a team which lives and breathes its work, changing the lives of those it helps.

Carer Sally Rutty has worked in care since she left school and says that her earliest memories are of helping her grandfather as a child. She explains the satisfaction of working in the award nominated team: “It’s great because you are helping people to stay in their homes, being as independent as possible and enjoying familiar surroundings. Because I’m going into people’s homes I feel as though I’m playing a bigger part in their lives and I get to know their families, too.”

Last year 120 people were able to live independently as a direct result of the work of the carers. In a survey 100 per cent of customers described their carers as good or very good. Carer Kizzy Murphy says that it’s much more than just a job: “We expect people to care for others how they would want a member of their family to be looked after. Always respect their views and their dignity. Remember that they’re a person, not a need or a disability.”

Les Clarke is director of care and support at Care Plus, which is part of Housing Plus Group based at Acton Gate in Stafford: “I’m thrilled that the team has been recognised in this way. They are an example of the quality of care that should be available to everyone, across the country. They inspire total trust. Customers have confidence in their carers and we have complete confidence in the team.”

The winners of the Housing Heroes Awards will be announced at a ceremony in Manchester on 26 June 2017.