Gray Healthcare colleagues are finalists in this year’s National Learning Disability & Autism Awards
Gray Healthcare is celebrating once more following the announcement that two colleagues are finalists in the National Learning Disability and Autism Awards. These annual awards celebrate excellence in the support of people with learning disabilities and autism and aim to pay tribute to the individuals and organisations who excel in providing quality care.
The nominations and categories are as follows:
‘The Frontline Leader Award’ – Jo McGarva
‘Jo is an exemplary Team Manager. She is approachable, consistent, supportive, knowledgeable and a fantastic communicator. When a problem arises, she is always ready with a solution and inspires her team to do the same. If a colleague approaches her with an issue, Jo willingly spends time coaching them and encouraging them to arrive at the solution themselves rather than simply providing the solution. This approach inspires confidence in her team and has helped them to develop resilience.
She also leads by example and is an excellent role model. She is the first person to volunteer for what most of us consider to be the unpopular tasks. For example, if there is ever a shortage of staff for on-call, she will always offer to cover. She will never expect her team to do anything that she would not do herself. To stabilise a particular staff team, she held a team meeting to encourage the team to design their own rota, taking into account staff preferences and work-home balance. She managed to bring about change and stability to a team within a matter of weeks with this approach.
Jo is not only my personal ‘go to’ but is also the person her Team Manager and clinical colleagues seek out when they need some help and support. She is adaptable to solving problems in any given environment, with any team and with any individual we support. She is always readily available on the phone, offers reassurance and motivates others. She simply radiates positivity.
Not only does Jo have excellent relationships with her staff teams, her colleagues and the people we support, she has also built exceptional relationships with commissioners and referrers and makes sure they are always kept up-to-date. I have enormous respect for Jo – she is an inspiration to us all.’
‘The Making a Difference Award’ – Katy Simpson
‘I am nominating Katy Simpson for this award because I have had the privilege of seeing firsthand, the positive impact she has been able to have for the people we support. Katy’s hard work, compassion and absolute dedication to her profession has truly allowed her to make a difference; there is no challenge that she won’t face with positivity and creativity. Katy’s ability to introduce fun, purpose and hope into the lives of the people she supports has been integral in promoting recovery and improving quality of life. Katy also injects the same amount of dedication and enthusiasm into our team which means that we can continue to be innovative in our service delivery. Katy has a wealth of knowledge and experience which she shares generously; a true asset to the people she supports, her profession and Gray Healthcare.’
Our four shortlisted colleagues will now enter the final round of judging and the winners will be announced at an Awards Ceremony at ICC Birmingham on 8th July 2022. Good luck everyone!