Victory's sweet for Carolanne
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A Highland business’s concern for its clients has been recognised with a national title at the Scottish Care Awards and final places in three categories.
Carolanne Mainland, operations director for Inverness-based social care provider Highland Home Carers (HHC), was named winner of the coveted positive impact award by the awards host, Pop Idol winner turned television presenter Michelle McManus.
Ms Mainland, who joined HHC in 2018, was singled out for chairing daily Covid resilience meetings of HHC’s organisational leadership team, navigating the care provider through the extremely challenging issues of PPE and anxiety associated with the pandemic and simultaneously carrying out risk assessments and playing a key role in getting colleagues who had been shielding back to work – all while she too was shielding.
“I am of course thrilled to have my personal commitment to care recognised, but I am also feeling slightly humble,” she said.
“Right now there are untold millions of carers, paid and unpaid, across the globe doing what they do best in these unparalleled times.”
Congratulating her, Gillian Murphy, head of operations at HHC, said: “Since joining HHC, Carolanne has been instrumental in helping us put the people we support at the heart of everything we do. She leads by example and has reorganised the operational team to better deliver a quality service.
“Carolanne can always find a solution to a problem, often thinking outside the box to come up with innovative solutions. She draws on her wealth of experience and contacts to support us through the most challenging times.”
The awards, which were part of the recent annual Festival of Care at Home and Support, also saw HHC shortlisted in the management and leadership and care learning categories. The care provider, which is Scotland’s largest employee-owned company, was the only Highland organisation to be listed among the finalists
Trainer for culture of care and person-centred care, Bec Nicholson, represented HHC in the care learning final.
The wheelchair user draws on her personal experience of growing up and living with cerebal palsy in her course design and delivery and has been hailed as an ambassador for the entire care sector. She is accompanied on a daily basis by her assist dog, Gregg.
Assistant service manager Tina Simpson was shortlisted in the management and leadership category for demonstrating a high level of leadership and the additional efforts she has made to support a client with motor neurone disease (MND).
When the client’s speech started to deteriorate, she began using a letter board to allow communication and taught carers and family members how to look for facial expression and eye movement to indicate which letter the client was choosing.
