Islington carers celebrated at Dignity in Care Awards

The awards, which took place at Islington Assembly Hall last Wednesday, highlighted the quality of care and support provided to residents by both paid and unpaid carers across the borough, helping those they look after to stay independent for longer and do more of the things they want.

The 2023 award winners were:

• Rita Ansah – Carer of the Year (Domiciliary care and reablement)
• Sharon Sam - Carer of the Year (Residential, nursing and extra care)
• Cynthia Ramsay - Carer of the Year (Supported living)
• Dolores Murray - Carer of the Year (Shared Lives)
• Jean Curtis - Volunteer of the Year
• Georgina Wheeler - joint Family Carer of the Year
• Virginia Bovell - joint Family Carer of the Year
• Highbury New Park care team (Care UK) - Heart of the Community
• The Elfrida Society consultation team - Outstanding Collaboration
• Housing 21 Extra Care team (the rehab team) - Special Recognition

Virginia Bovell, who cares for her son and is an active voice for people with learning disabilities in Islington, won the Family Carer of the Year award. She said: “It's thrilling even to be nominated, let alone to win an award. It’s great that the voice of family carers is really heard in Islington.

“It’s a very rewarding partnership between families and learning disabled colleagues at Elfrida, who were also award winners tonight. I couldn’t be happier that we all won awards for our work.”

Cllr Nurullah Turan, Executive Member for Health and Social Care, said: “We want to support people to live healthier lives for longer, so they can live the lives they want and enjoy a higher quality of life.

“That means making sure everyone receives the right support, in the right place, at the right time – and carers are an essential part of making that happen.”

Cllr Janet Burgess MBE, who sat on the judging panel, added: “The Dignity in Care Awards night is always one of my favourite events of the year. It is such an honour to meet our community of carers and hear the lovely nominations from our residents. The awards are a great way of recognising and saying a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for the tireless work of carers in Islington.

“Congratulations to everyone who won an award, but also to everyone who received a nomination or was shortlisted. I truly value the efforts you go to each and every day to make Islington a better place for our residents.”

The judging panel – which also included Islington parent carer Carly Stechman and Islington’s principal social worker Conor Copas – chose 10 winners across nine categories from more than 90 nominations, many of which were made by service users themselves and their families. Around 150 people attended the event and were treated to entertainment organised by Mencap Radio and artists at Daylight Studio, both Islington-based charities that support people with learning disabilities.