Islington's care workers take centre stage for Dignity in Care Awards

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Picture caption - Star carers are recognised at Islington's Dignity in Care Awards for going the extra mile (L-R – Hibo Farah; Sue Raghip; Cllr Una O'Halloran, The Mayor of Islington; Regina Lieber; Rooksanoh Karuntalle).

Care workers who go the extra mile to provide excellent care and support to some of Islington’s most vulnerable residents have been recognised for their outstanding work at the council’s annual Dignity in Care Awards.

Now in their seventh year, the awards aim to promote and recognise the very best in care and support provided by care workers in the borough. This year’s awards, were held on 1 February at Islington Town Hall, to coincide with Dignity Action Day, a national campaign which aims to put dignity and respect at the heart of care services.

The judging panel, drawn from local organisations including Age UK, Healthwatch Islington and the National Pensioners Convention chose winners in three categories from more than 70 nominations. The winners were:

• Junior Cofarrier, from London Care and Hibo Farah, from Mayfair Homecare, in the Domiciliary Care category
• Sue Raghip, from St Anne’s, in the Residential and Nursing Care Category
• Regina Lieber and Rooksanoh Karuntalle, from Notting Hill Housing Group, in the Extra Care category
• Myra Smyth received a Special Commendation in the Shared Lives category

Many nominations came from service users themselves, who had strong words of praise for their carers.

One service user said: "Everything said and done by this carer (Hibo Farah) is done respectfully, and with kindness and understanding. This carer is very friendly, and however bad I have been feeling physically she always puts a smile on my face and makes me feel better because she is always cheerful."

Another service user said her nominee (Rooksanoh Karuntalle) "treats me with respect because she understand this is my home. She will sit down and talk with me, help me to write letters to my family, make phone calls, and go to any length to help me with anything I want."

Hibo Farah, a winner in the Domiciliary Care category, said, “I was amazed when they said I had won, because there are so many other care workers all doing such a fantastic job.

"I love what I do, and my manager is really supportive, but it can be hard at times. Caring for vulnerable people is a big responsibility, so to get recognition for it is really special. The best thing about my job is the people I care for, so I’m really thankful that they thought about nominating me.”

Janet Burgess, Islington Council's Executive Member for Health & Social Care & Deputy Leader of the Council, was part of the judging panel and on hand to present the awards alongside Islington’s Mayor, Councillor Una O'Halloran.

Councillor Burgess said, “The awards are my favourite event of the year. Each one of the nominations tells a remarkable story of someone who has dedicated their working life to caring for people, so it’s always a difficult task to choose the winners.

"Far too often, the inspirational work that these people do, is unseen and overlooked. It’s crucial that we take the opportunity to celebrate these unsung heroes, who make such a difference to people who are at a vulnerable time in their lives.”