WCS Care scoops two prestigious national care industry awards
WCS Care has received national recognition after picking up two accolades at a prestigious care industry awards ceremony.
The Warwickshire-based charity, the first care home group in England with six homes recognised as ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, was presented with the Care Group of the Year and Best Innovation in Care awards at the first Caring UK Awards.
The awards, organised by Script Events and leading industry publication Caring UK, with support from headline sponsor Clydesdale/Yorkshire Bank, recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement in all corners of the industry.
Awards were presented in 16 categories at the ceremony, held at The National Railway Museum in York on 8th December 2017, attended by over 400 care industry professionals, and hosted by health and wellbeing expert and former Apprentice contestant Katie Bulmer-Cooke.
As part of the judging, WCS Care went through a rigorous assessment process, which involved a site visit by a member of the awards’ team who toured one of the homes, chatted to residents and staff, and examined all areas of the organisation.
Detailed reports were then compiled and passed on to an expert judging panel including Professor Martin Green OBE (Care England), Nadra Ahmed OBE DL (National Care Association), Raj Kapoor (Alzheimer’s Society), and industry expert John Kennedy, who decided the winners of each category.
Judith Halkerston, Event Director for the Caring UK Awards, said: ‘All our winners have had an arduous journey to this point – the standard of entries was overwhelming and every facility that walked away with an award should be extremely proud.
‘Our awards night was an amazing celebration of the caring industry as a whole – it was lovely to see everyone having such a great time and receiving the recognition that they rightly deserve.’
WCS Care was recognised for its creative approach to care including how it focuses on making every day well lived for residents, and ensuring people have plenty of opportunities to try new things and continue doing the things they’ve always done.
Its use of innovative technology was also highlighted as the charity was the first provider in the UK to adopt acoustic monitoring – a non-intrusive system used at night to discreetly monitor every room for unusual sounds, sending alerts to a monitoring station, where a manager listens to the event to decide if a carer is needed.
Because it means staff no longer need to door-knock every hour as part of regular overnight checks, residents are no longer being disturbed, meaning everyone sleeps better, and mental and physical wellbeing improves.
WCS Care has also recorded a reduction in night-time falls since installing the system.
Christine Asbury, WCS Care’s Chief Executive, said: ‘We’re not afraid to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation in care, so we’re delighted that our approach and use of technology are continuing to be recognised at a national level.
‘WCS Care is changing social care expectations, and is delivering a challenge to the wider sector so we can all help to change people’s perceptions about care homes, by sharing best practice and promoting stories about the great care that happens every day across the country.’