Natasha Wilson, Dementia Care Manager for the North West region at HC-One’s, was crowned winner of the ‘Most Inspiring Leader in Dementia Care Award’ category at the 14th National Dementia Care Awards 2024.
The awards ceremony took place at Cutler’s Hall in Sheffield on Thursday 26
th September 2024. The National Dementia Care Awards are an annual award ceremony celebrating the outstanding practice, commitment, and excellence of those who work within the dementia care community to deliver person centred care for those living with dementia across 10 different award categories.
Natasha Wilson, Dementia Care Manager at HC-One, was nominated for the ‘Most Inspiring Leader in Dementia Care Award’ by Anne-Marie Potter, Specialist Dementia Service Lead at HC-One’s Specialist Dementia Care Community at Meadow Bank Care Home.
Natasha was recognised and selected as the winner of the ‘Most Inspiring Leader in Dementia Care Award’ category by judges for providing specialist oversight, support and guidance to her team. Natasha inspires her fellow colleagues, by teaching and leading by personal example, always going the extra mile and making a positive impact and outcome to the lives of those individuals affected by dementia.
In Natasha’s role as Dementia Care Manager for HC-One, she provides specialist advice to care home teams supporting people with dementia and she has a specific role in Meadow Bank Care Home’s Specialist Dementia Care Community in Preston, Lancashire which she visits on a weekly basis.
Natasha inspires and supports others with her extensive understanding of dementia and constantly prompts those around her to consider how they can do things better and differently to drive high standards of care. Natasha has introduced specialist training around the wellbeing of residents.
Outside of HC-One Natasha is an Associate Lecturer at The University of Worcestershire, Association for Dementia Studies’. She is also the founder and chair of ‘Dementia Dreammakers’, an independent charity in Sheffield which aims to facilitate life enhancing experiences for people living with dementia in Sheffield.
In addition to helping to make individual’s dreams come true, Natasha has conducted a series of practical learning events with the charity to help family and friends support people living with dementia including in their own home.
Recently Natasha has been awarded a prestigious 2024 Churchill Fellowship to research how individuals can best support families to provide good end of life dementia care. This will allow Natasha to research best practice in The Netherlands, USA and Canada to help influence end of life care policy.
Speaking on herself being named as a winner at the National Dementia Care Awards, Natasha Wilson, Dementia Care Manager, said:
“I am really proud and moved to have been named as the winner of the prestigious ‘Most Inspiring Leader in Dementia Care Award’ category at the National Dementia Care Awards 2024.
“It is an honour and privilege to support people living with dementia across HC-One to live their best lives by trying to change the narrative about what is still possible. The incredibly passionate and dedicated teams around me inspire me every single day! They make a significant difference to those living with dementia in our care homes and to colleagues who require support.”
Aileen Beatty, Head of Dementia Care at HC-One, commented:
“Congratulations to Natasha on winning the ‘Most Inspiring Leader in Dementia Care Award’ category at the National Dementia Care Awards 2024. It’s so well deserved!
“Natasha shows an impressive degree of commitment to improving the lives of people with dementia be that in a work or in her own time locally. She lives and breathes dementia care, and her contagious passion and determination is what inspires others.
“Through our dementia care model, we strive to give people living with dementia the care they need and the life they want. Being part of the National Dementia Care Awards is important to recognise those who work tirelessly to provide outstanding care and support residents to live their best lives, and I’m delighted that Natasha’s hard work and achievements have been recognised through these awards.”
In total, HC-One had two winners at the National Dementia Care Awards 2024 as Alison Porter, Wellbeing Coordinator at HC-One’s Rose Court Care Home in Radcliffe, Manchester also won the ‘Best Activity Provider/Lifestyle Lead Award’ category.