Member Article

Care home manager scoops care awards title

A care home manager from the Prestwick Care Group has beaten off stiff competition by scooping the Registered Home Manager of the year award at the esteemed Great North East Care Awards 2013.

Kathy Burns, manager of Cestria House in Jesmond, won the award at the glittering event at the Hilton on Saturday night (23 November). The manager of the care home which is part of the Prestwick Care Group, a subsidiary of the family-run leisure, property and care company The Malhotra Group, was also joined by fellow senior carer Sheila Tindall of Belle Vue House as a finalist.

The win means that Ms. Burns will attend the UK finals taking place in London next year to celebrate excellence across the care sector. The national awards pay tribute to those individuals across nine regions including London, Nottingham, Birmingham, Blackpool, Duxford, York, Newcastle, Bristol and Brighton who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work.

With a career in care spanning 33 years, Kathy Burns said: “I am over the moon to have won this award especially with the calibre of the other finalists within the region. I am tremendously proud of everyone that I work with within Cestria House and Prestwick Care Group.

“For me, it’s just part of my daily job, so to be recognised nationally for it is very flattering. I pride myself on the great relationships I have with our residents and ensure they are happy and cared for at a level they deserve. We are like one big family so as long as they are happy at home, then I am happy.”

The next stage will involve another round of intense interviews in front of a panel of sector experts to battle it out to win Home Manager of the year for the UK.

CEO of Prestwick Care Group, Bunty Malhotra, said: “We pride ourselves in providing sensitive person-centred care investing heavily in training to maintain a strong team of skilled carers across all of our facilities. It is heartening that Kathy has won and I am delighted that she has been recognised for her hard work and commitment to the residents.

“Having two of our care homes from the group get through to the finals in two categories shows the excellent standards we provide and reflects the quality of care within the business. To be recognised for our standards nationally bodes well for the future as more homes within Prestwick Care are under development in Gosforth and Northumberland area and will be recognised in providing the best quality care across the group.”

Cestria House is a 21-bed boutique residential home with a dedicated EMI and dementia unit, and is one of ten luxury care homes within the care group across the North East.

All winners from the regional awards are invited to attend the national finals which will take place in April and June 2014 at a prestigious venue in London.

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