Double Win at National Care Awards!

Community Integrated Care is proud to have won two top awards at the National Care Awards this weekend. These awards recognised initiatives by our charity to adopt leading person-centred approaches to support, as well as the successes of our leadership.

At the National Care Awards, our Deputy Chief Executive, Cath Murray-Howard, was victorious in the Leadership Award, whilst Kelly Henderson, Team Leader at Carlingwark House, collected the Resident Engagement Award. The National Care Awards are supported by Caring Times magazine and are in their 17^th year. Cath and Kelly were presented with their awards by Comedian and quiz show favourite, Hugh Dennis.

Cath took home her award for her outstanding support of Community Integrated Care’s ambitious five year strategy, which has the aim of us becoming The UK’s Leading Health and Social Care Charity. Her business development achievements have seen our charity grow to become a £105m organisation – enabling many more people receive our support, and she has been instrumental in developing integrated models of care, which have reduced demand on NHS resources and offered people better outcomes.

Kelly was successful thanks to her efforts to build thriving professional partnerships at Carlingwark House, Castle Douglas. Carlingwark House supports 30 residents, many of whom live with dementia. Kelly has pioneered the Playlist for Life music therapy at the home, is its Link Worker with the NHS Continence Advisory Service, and works in close partnership with the NHS Dumfries & Galloway IDEAS (Intervention for Dementia: Education, Assessment & Support) team. These efforts have had a demonstrable impact on the wellbeing of residents at the home.

Carlingwark Care Home was also shortlisted at the National Dementia Awards for the Best Dementia Continence Care Award, an award it has won for two consecutive years previously. The home adopts a person-centred approach to continence support – promoting dignity, wellbeing and independence. It also works in close partnership with the Care Inspectorate and NHS teams, to share and learn from leading approaches for continence support. Last year the home supported the development of a Care Inspectorate guide that promoted best practice in continence support, which was shared with every care home in Scotland.

Neil Matthewman, Chief Executive of Community Integrated Care, says: “Community Integrated Care has set itself an ambitious strategy and these awards celebrate our achievements in bringing it to life. They recognise the delivery of some of our key aims – promoting person-centred support, delivering integrated services and working in partnership with leading care sector groups. I’d like to congratulate Cath and Kelly on their hugely deserved success and recognition – they’ve done both Community Integrated Care and the wider social care sector exceptionally proud.”