A team of care workers from an extra care housing scheme in Darlington have been shortlisted for a Great British Care Award (GBCA), in recognition of the work they do to support people going through menopause.
Max Ridley, Emily McLaren, Debbie Moss and Sandy Bean are all support workers at Rosemary Court on Blackton Grove. The Menopause and Wellbeing Group they created for employees, tenants and visitors has been shortlisted for the GBCA ‘Putting People First’ award.
The award is given to a team who “can demonstrate an innovative approach to empowering people to have more control over the support they need in their lives.”
The group have been shortlisted for the North East region, and if they take home the trophy from the ceremony at the Grand Hotel Gosforth Park in Newcastle in November, they’ll go on to the national final in March 2023.
The Menopause and Wellbeing Group was created by the four support workers in an extra care scheme that supports residents with personal care, meal preparation, supervision, assistance with medication and social events.
When Max raised the topic of the menopause symptoms she was experiencing, the whole team met to discuss how they could support her. They realised that this was an issue also faced by many scheme residents, family members and colleagues from other agencies.
The wide-ranging physical and psychological symptoms experienced during the stages of menopause can have a significant impact on quality of life. Symptoms can begin up to 10 years before menopause (peri-menopause), which generally begins in the forties or fifties but can be earlier, and last for several years after (post-menopause). Some women experience symptoms well into their seventies.
After exploring the support available and finding very little, the group took matters into their own hands and created the Menopause Wellbeing Group. As well as help with menopause symptoms, support was widened to include advice on mental health and wellbeing.
“It was clear from the outset that Max was passionate about helping others in similar situations,” says Rosemary Court manager Rebecca Liddle, who nominated the team for the award. “Together with Debbie, Emily and Sandy, they gathered as much information as possible, spoke to colleagues and residents to find out how they could best support them, and created their own programme of information, activities and events.”
The care on offer from the group includes notice boards of helpful tips and ideas, and wellbeing comfort boxes in break rooms. The boxes contain advice cards on how to manage symptoms, natural therapy products, teas, hot water bottles, chocolate, magazines, deodorants and cooling face spray. They also act as a visual reminder that everyone affected is supported.
Regular meetings are held to discuss new ideas, including a coffee and cake morning for staff, service users, family members and colleagues from other agencies to discuss symptoms and issues, support each other and share information.
“The feedback is amazing and we are all so proud of these ladies for supporting so many people, who benefit from their passion and hard work,” says Rebecca. “It’s great that they’re getting recognition for their efforts by being shortlisted for this award.”
Phil Orton is the chief people officer at Making Space, a national adult health and social care charity with 1200 employees across the UK.
“Every day, we hear stories about our colleagues going above and beyond for service users,” he says. “Everyone at Making Space is inspired by dedicated and committed care workers like Max, Emily, Debbie and Sandy, who constantly seek new and different ways to make improvements to services.
“We’re all fully behind the team and manager Rebecca, who provided them with lots of support and encouragement. Congratulations and best of luck to all of them.”
The Great British Care Awards are a series of regional events throughout the UK and are a celebration of excellence across the care sector. They pay tribute to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work, from frontline staff such as care workers and care managers to people who have made an impact in other ways such as training and innovation.
