Inspiring care professionals across Leicestershire have been celebrated at a special event at Leicester Racecourse.
Nominated by family, friends, their colleagues, or the people they support, the finalists were recognised for going the extra mile to deliver compassionate service.
The night was organised by Inspired to Care, who support recruitment and retention for the adult social care sector in conjunction with Leicestershire County Council and Leicester City Council. The ceremony was hosted by Tristram Gardner, deputy CEO of Skills for Care, who work to improve the training and growth of the sector.
A total of 21 awards were given out on the night for a variety of roles across the sector, including the best care home professional, HR/recruiter, office staff member, and diversity champion.
The big award of the night, care professional of the year, went to Lesley Mansfield, who celebrated 30 years of working at the Old School House Residential Care Home in Thringstone. The award was presented by last year’s winner, Julie Rudd.
Inderjit Lahel, the county council’s assistant director for strategic commissioning, made an appearance on the night to thank all the nominees.
He said: “It was a real privilege to be there and see the faces behind the stories. It’s important that people hear the impact our adult social care workers have in transforming people’s lives, and to remind everyone of how vital they are to our county.”
Kate Galoppi, the city council’s director of commissioning for adult social care, mentioned the wide variety of roles held by the finalists.
“As social care professionals, no matter how big or small your role is in someone’s care journey, they are all contributions that build up to make a real difference.
“People should know that the compassion we’ve seen in this sector does not go unnoticed or unrewarded. The winners should be very proud of what they’ve achieved, we are proud of them.”
