Winners of the National Bluebird Care Awards announced at a festive afternoon tea
Published: 18/11/2019
The winners of our Bluebird Care Awards were announced on the 14th November 2019 at London’s historic Fortnum & Mason.
The National Bluebird Care awards ceremony took place at London’s historic Fortnum & Mason on 14th November, where three national winners were announced.
Linda Harvey, a Care Assistant at Bluebird Care Swindon, won ‘Carer of the Year’. This award recognises people who work on the front line each day, and Linda was praised for always going above and beyond and being a central part of the local community.
Caroline Sommerville, a Registered Manager at Bluebird Care Mid and West Cornwall won the ‘Registered Manager of the Year’ award. This accolade recognises the role of responsibility and accountability within Registered Managers have within the businesses. It also acknowledges the leadership and the importance of guiding and directing their teams and supporting them to achieve their true potential. Caroline received the award for her outstanding work in recruitment and training for the team at Bluebird Care Mid and West Cornwall and the care she has shown to those in the wider community.
Libby Irvine, the Training Manager at Bluebird Care South Buck, South Wycombe and Slough, won the ‘Team Member of the Year’ award. This is given out to team members who embody Bluebird Care and who have an exceptional focus on both the carer and the customer. Libby won this award because of the energy, vibrance and commitment to her role, and to Bluebird Care.
The Bluebird Care Awards are a celebration of the exemplary commitment shown by the dedicated teams that work at Bluebird Care, across the whole network.
This year’s panel of judges included Professor Martin Green, Chief Executive of Care England; Colin Angel, Policy and Communications Director of UK Homecare Association (UKHCA) and Sue Learner, Editor of homecare.co.uk and carehome.co.uk. The judges were given time to meet the finalists and interview them to get a sense of how they go above and beyond in their daily roles. The judges then select the worthy winners from a pool of finalists, who had been selected from a record number of applications from across the whole of the Bluebird Care franchise network.
Yvonne Hignell, Managing Director of Bluebird Care, said:
“The awards this year have been a roaring success and we could not be happier with how the ceremony went.
“The finalists who have joined us are a real representation of all the amazing work that is carried out by the Bluebird Care team across the UK each day.
“I would like to thank everyone in the Bluebird Care network and the team members who helped to make this day so special.”
Professor Martin Green, Chief Executive Officer of Care England, and one of the judges, said:
“These awards have been the most enjoyable day in a long time. I have had a great afternoon and met some amazing people.
“All the people at these awards have been outstanding and my category winner really showed a commitment to the people she works with, as well as their families, to ensure they are part of the community.
“I would like to say to everyone at these awards, and across Bluebird Care, you are doing an amazing job, transforming lives and just enjoy your work, because what you do is really special.”
Colin Angel, Policy Director at United Kingdom Homecare Association (UKHCA), and one of the judges, said:
“It has been an incredible honour to be one of the judges for these awards, and to meet so many talented nominees and hear about the fantastic services they are delivering throughout the UK.
“I am going to take away the dedication and enthusiasm that all the nominees for these awards have shown to the judges. It was really clear that that enthusiasm is spread throughout the Bluebird Care franchise network.
“Everyone who was nominated for an award has done a fantastic job and has really impressed the judges.”
Sue Learner, Editor of homecare.co.uk, and one of the judges, said:
“Every day I see reviews on homecare.co.uk which really show the impact that carers have on people’s lives, but to meet some of these people making that difference has been incredible and I have realised how care professionals go above and beyond.
“These awards are a lovely way of recognising hard work, showing the value of care professionals work and giving back to them.”
This year’s Bluebird Care Awards celebrated 15 finalists, in 3 categories. The full list follows below:
Carer of the Year
- Dave Finch, Scotland, NI & the North
- Rukhsana Ali, Midlands East
- Natasha Perry, Midlands West & Wales
- Angela McMillan, London & South East
- Linda Harvey, Swindon
Registered Manager of the Year
- Becki Moore, Scotland, NI & the North
- Richard Atkinson, Midlands East
- Siobhan Carroll, Midlands West & Wales
- Jade Hobbs, London & South East
- Caroline Summerville, Mid and West Cornwall
Team Member of the Year
- Veronica Carlyle, Care Assistant, Scotland, NI & the North
- Samantha Ward, Care Coordinator, Midlands West & Wales
- Jade Rose, Registered Care Manager, London & South East
- Kim Teagle, Recruitment Manager, South West
- Libby Irvine, Training Manager, South Buck, South Wycombe and Slough
Carer of the Year
Linda Harvey
Bluebird Care Swindon
Registered Manager of the Year
Caroline Sommerville
Bluebird Care Mid Cornwall
Team Member of the Year
Libby Irvine
Bluebird Care South Bucks & Slough
Well done to our fabulous winners, and thank you to everyone that came to make it a fantastic event!
