A Shropshire woman, described as “having care DNA”, has won a top accolade in the Great West Midlands Care Awards.
Sarah Baker, who works for Home Instead Senior Care Shrewsbury, Ludlow and Oswestry, was presented with the Home Care Worker Award at a prestigious ceremony held at Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham.
“Sarah stands out in a very competitive category as a born carer. She has care DNA. If you needed home care, you would certainly want Sarah to deliver it due to the great abilities she has shown, a well deserved winner,” said judges.
The 36-year-old, who lives in Nesscliffe, will now go through to the national finals of the Great British Care Awards to be held in March. The awards celebrate excellence across the care sector.
“Sarah is one terrifically amazing caregiver,” said Rachael Birchall, of Home Instead Senior Care, who nominated her for the award.
“She does not drive, lives in a village in the rural outskirts between Oswestry and Shrewsbury, has a family of six children and yet she is one of our most busy caregivers.
“She looks after some of our most complex care clients and always delivers extremely high standards of care. She is so adaptable, so reliable, so well organised. She does absolutely anything she can to ensure her clients are happy, never let down and treated with great dignity.
“She is honest, trustworthy and kind. She is never fazed by anything. She is all the things that you would expect from an excellent caregiver. We all feel very proud of Sarah. It was very difficult to win this award.”
Judging was rigorous, involving testimonials from the families of clients and a one-to-one interview with a judge.
Sarah, who has been working for Home Instead Senior Care since 2015 and looks after clients in Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Baschurch and Knockin, said she was thrilled to receive the award.
“It’s lovely knowing how much people appreciate what you do for them,” she said.
“I love the job. Caring comes naturally for me. I was the eldest of eight children so there was always someone to look after. My grandmother was a care worker as well. When I was nine I would accompany her after school to her job in a care home. I would hand round the tea and biscuits.
“When I was 14 the care home owner invited me to go on the care rota. It was my first job in care which I did after school.”
Last year Sarah was voted Caregiver of the Year within Home Instead Senior Care by clients and her fellow caregivers.
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