Four members of Lancaster homecare team shortlisted for top awards

The four, from Westmorland Homecare’s Lancaster and Morecambe branch, will now attend a glittering awards ceremony at the prestigious Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in Manchester in November.

“I am incredibly proud,” said Daniel Stainer, one of the directors of Westmorland Homecare. “It is great recognition for the team and to have four members from one branch shortlisted for the awards is outstanding and shows the high quality of the service we provide and the staff we employ at Westmorland Homecare.”

Katie Pennington has been shortlisted for the Homecare Coordinator Award; Rhianna Wilson for the Recruitment, Retention and Recognition Award; Kate Wells for the Care Assessor/Care Planner Award; and Ashleigh Bird for the Workforce Development Award.

Katie Pennington, 28, who lives at Ulverston, was appointed the Registered Manager at Lancaster and Morecambe in July this year and is being recognised for her previous role as the senior co-ordinator at the branch.

The nomination statement on which she was judged states: “Through her outstanding support and tireless advocacy for her clients, Katie consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that their complex care needs are met with the highest level of quality and compassion,” adding: “She approaches each individual with empathy, understanding and a genuine desire to improve their quality of life.”

Katie said: “I am very proud, in my time as coordinator, in supporting a complex transition of a young gentleman from one of the local colleges into his own home. I contributed heavily to enabling him to do this and WHC now supports him 24/7 to live an independent life and he is thriving.”

Rhianna Wilson, 34, is the branch’s Recruitment and Events Coordinator. She grew up in the Milnthorpe area, attended Dallam School and now lives at Burneside, near Kendal.

She started her Westmorland Homecare career as a homecare assistant and team leader at the South Lakeland branch before moving to Lancaster in her current role in 2021.

Her nomination statement says: “One of Rhianna's most remarkable qualities is her unparalleled ability to consistently find the best candidates for any role”, adding that her keen eye for talent coupled with her efficient and organised approach ensured the team was always staffed with top-tier professionals who not only met but exceeded expectations.

Rhianna said she gained great satisfaction from seeing people who might not necessarily have a care background develop into excellent carers who were making a massive impact on clients’ lives.

Kate Wells, 26, of Heysham, is Senior Scheduling Coordinator at the Lancaster and Morecambe branch. A former pupil of Our Lady’s High School and sixth form in Lancaster, she joined WHC in 2021.

Her nomination statement includes: “Kate faces the formidable task of coordinating schedules and ensuring that each individual's care needs are met in a timely and efficient manner.” It highlights ‘her unwavering commitment to efficiency, attention to detail and proactive approach to planning’, which helped ensure clients received high-quality care.

Kate said her role gave her a great level of satisfaction ‘especially when the result is that our lovely clients are being delivered the best possible care from their team of wonderful homecare assistants’.

Ashleigh Bird, 30, of Garstang, is the branch’s Training and Development Co-ordinator. A former nurse in neo-natal intensive care at Kettering General Hospital, she joined Westmorland Homecare a year ago.

Her nomination statement says that one of Ashleigh's greatest strengths lay in her ability to provide unparalleled support to the care team through appraisals and supervisions.

It adds that Ashleigh's commitment to providing specialist and highly complex training ensured that staff members were equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to deliver exceptional care.

Ashleigh said: “It is nice seeing how new recruits develop into brilliant carers and someone you would be happy to have looking after your own relatives.”

Westmorland Homecare’s Lancaster and Morecambe branch, which covers a large area from Silverdale to Galgate, including Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham, provides care to enable vulnerable and often frail people over the age of 18 to live independently in their own home.

Its services include homecare, such as help with housekeeping and meal preparation, and personal care, which includes support with medication, dressing, bathing and living life to the full.