Nominations are flooding in for all types of carers for the Daily Echo Proud to Care Awards.

Now in their third year, the awards are an opportunity for members of the public to nominate a worthy individual, group or home for one of 13 different awards.

Once again, the awards are being held in conjunction with BCP Council and each category will be supported by sponsorship from a local business.

Bournemouth Echo:

Last year hundreds of nominations were received, giving the judges some difficult decisions to make with regards to the winners.  However, the winners were chosen and presented with their awards at an emotional ceremony held at the Marsham Court Hotel.

You can make your nomination online,  or use a form that will be published regularly in the Daily Echo. 

Entry closes on October 22, 2019

The categories available ensure that both paid and unpaid workers can be recognised, together with care homes, and groups.

The categories 

1. Residential/Nursing Care Home of the Year (sponsored by Mploy Healthcare)

This award will be given to a Residential or Nursing Care Home that has demonstrated a commitment to providing excellence in meeting the needs of people living in a residential or nursing care home; going above and beyond to provide dignified care in an environment where staff are valued and supported. This can be any Residential or Nursing Care Home for Adults including Older People, or people with a Learning or Physical Disability or Mental Health needs.

Mploy Healthcare are pleased to support the Proud to Care awards as we believe that we should recognise their dedication, hard work and commitment many show to the Care profession. We are proud sponsors of the Residential/Nursing Care Home of the Year Award and through our working relationships we have with many of the homes, we see what outstanding care many of the homes provide to the residents and their families. We hugely encourage everyone to nominate for these awards and wish all of them every success in the lead-up to this prestigious event.

Bournemouth Echo:

2. Residential/Nursing Care Home Worker of the Year

This award recognises the significant role of the Residential/Nursing Care Home Worker in consistently providing high-quality support for people living in a residential or nursing care home and includes all Care Home Workers e.g. those who support Older People, or people with a Learning or Physical Disability or Mental Health needs.

3. Home Care Provider of the Year

The winner of this award will be a Home Care Provider who delivers a consistently well led, personalised and highly-skilled service to people who need care in their own homes. The winning Home Care Provider could support any adult client group, including Older People and people with a Physical or Learning Disability or Mental Health needs.

4. Home Care Worker of the Year (sponsored by Ableworld Bournemouth)

This category is for a Home Care worker who is dedicated to supporting people who live in their own home and is someone who understands the importance of treating people as individuals. The winning Home Care Worker is someone who supports Older People or people with a Physical Disability or Mental Health needs either in their own home or in a supported living/extra care setting.

Bournemouth Echo:

5. Learning Disability Support Worker of the Year (sponsored by Nu-Staff)

This category is for a Support Worker who is dedicated to empowering people with a Learning Disability to live life as independently as possible.

Bournemouth Echo:

6. Excellence in Dementia Care

This award is for a Care Worker who has demonstrated excellence in meeting the needs of people with dementia and could be a Care Worker in either an approved Residential or Home Care environment, who goes above and beyond in their role.

7. Palliative Care Worker of the Year (sponsored by You-Cas)

This award is for a Care Worker who is a shining example of how special and professional you must be to support a person at the end of their life. The Care Worker can be either from a Care Home or community-based service.

Bournemouth Echo:

8. Family or Friend Carer of the Year (sponsored by Right at Home)

This award is our opportunity to recognise and celebrate the often unseen contribution that unpaid carers make to the lives of the person they care for and to our community.

9. Community & Voluntary Group of the Year (sponsored by Shaw Healthcare)

This award celebrates a community group of any size including voluntary sector organisations and charities that support people to maximise their quality of life and engage with the wider society.

Bournemouth Echo:

10. Volunteer of the Year (sponsored by Rotary Club of Bournemouth)

Do you know a dedicated volunteer (of any age) who is committed to making a difference to someone’s life to enable them to be part of their local community? This award is for them!

The Rotary Club of Bournemouth are part of a worldwide organisation and Rotary International have been in existence for over 100 years.  Since its formation, the club has been at the heart of our community providing support for local services, social enterprises and humanitarian causes at home and abroad.  The Rotary motto is ‘Service above Self’, our mission is to enable members to advance world understanding of goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty.  We are involve in several global projects, which are making enormous differences to peoples lives.  The Rotary Club of Bournemouth are pleased and honoured to support the Daily Echo Proud to Care Awards 2019.  We have chosen to sponsor the Volunteer of the Year category as fundamentally many volunteers are often not recognised for the incredible amount of work that they do.  Their daily sacrifice often goes unnoticed and we are certain there are many unsung heroes volunteering locally.

Bournemouth Echo:

11. New Care Worker of the Year (sponsored by Care Dynamics)

This award recognised a new Care Worker who has started working in the care sector this year. The winner will be someone who has shown willingness to understand what ‘care’ requires and has immersed themselves in their work, demonstrating good practice and excellent people skills from the outset.

Bournemouth Echo:

12. Long Service Award

This award acknowledges a person who has made a long-term outstanding commitment to their role, showing loyalty, dedication and pride in the care that they have provided throughout their career. The winner should be either an employee of a Care Home or Home Care Provider and can be a Care Worker or part of the Management Team.

13. Award for Innovation in Care Practice (sponsored by BCP Council)

This award recognises creative ways of working in the care industry and recognises the new or emerging products, systems or practices that improve the experience of either staff or users of the care service. 

Those shortlisted in each category (three per category) will be invited to an awards ceremony and lunch at the Marsham Court Hotel on November 14 (with a guest of their choice) where the winners will be announced. 

A winner’s supplement will subsequently be published in the Daily Echo.

Those interested in sponsoring a category should call Angela Boyer at the Daily Echo on 01202 411221, or email angela.boyer@localiq.co.uk​