Donna Spencer, Head Chef, and Jodie Yates, Wellbeing Coordinator, at HC-One’s
Averill House care home in Newton Heath, Manchester, a 48-bed dementia care home, have been shortlisted for awards at the Great British Care Awards 2022 for the North West region.
Donna, who is Nominated for The Care Home Chef/Cook Award, started working at Averill House in 2019 progressing from the role of Kitchen Porter, Assistant Chef to Head Chef.
Donna stepped up to the role of Head Chef during the coronavirus pandemic when Averill House was without a Head Chef. Donna has done an amazing job, tackling her new responsibilities to make mealtimes for Residents special and a stimulating part of their daily life.
Domestic Colleague, Ian Tiffany who nominated Donna for the award, said:
“Donna understands the importance of nutritional needs of older people and creates meals that offer the correct calorific and nutritional content for Residents, as she considers meals to be a fundamental part of every Residents’ care plan at the home.
Donna makes sure that eating is a social and an emotional experience for Residents. She ensures the home’s dining room is designed to create a relaxed and happy atmosphere, with menus that have plenty of variety and choice to offer for Residents to choose from.
Catering for 48 Residents isn’t easy but Donna goes above and beyond.”
Jodie, who is nominated for the Activity Coordinator Award Category, has worked at HC-One for 5 years. Jodie recognises that every Resident is different and has their own personal activity provisions planned and catered for around their own needs.
She goes above and beyond to stimulate Residents’ mind, body and soul and finds out their likes, dislikes, preferences, hobbies and pastimes through spending quality one on one time with them.
Donna Spencer, who nominated Jodie for the award, said:
“Jodie is continually reviewing and updating the activities she provides to Residents. Activities are kept up to date, ensuring that activities differ and offer variety. Jodie listens to the wants and requests made by the Residents and does everything to make these come true.”
“A great example of what Jodie has done is when a Resident said that they wanted to go on a bouncy castle, so Jodie made this happen and hired a bouncy castle for Residents to enjoy for the day to grant this Resident’s wish.”
Other notable events that Jodie has organised include a Mad Hatters afternoon tea trolley for Nutrition and Hydration Week, a Grand National event, where all Colleagues dressed up as horses, and a music festival called ‘Averill Fest’.
The nominations for the awards are in recognition of Donna and Jodie’s hard work and kind care shown to Residents, Relatives and Colleagues as well as the dedication and passion they both show every day to ensure the people they support receive the best quality care.
The Great British Care Awards consist of 21 awards, which cover a wide range of areas of the social care sector. The awards are a series of regional events throughout the UK and are a celebration of distinction across the care sector. The awards pay tribute to those who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their area of work. The award ceremony of the Great British Care Awards 2022, Regional Awards for the North West region takes place at The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel on Saturday 12th November 2022, when the winners will be announced. Successful winners at the North West regional awards will progress to the national finals of the Great British Care Awards 2023 taking place on Friday 17th March 2023 at the ICC in Birmingham.
Jodie has also been shortlisted as a finalist in the Innovation in Care Award Category at The Leaders in Care Awards 2022.
Commenting on her nomination, Donna Spencer said:
“It is such a great sense of achievement to just be nominated! And to have two Colleagues at Averill House at the awards, is fantastic for our home.”
Commenting on her nomination, Jodie Yates said:
“I am honoured to be shortlisted for the awards and very much look forward to the event!”