Wayne in line for award at 'social care Oscars'
The manager of a Powys nursing home is in line for an award after rising to the challenge of running a new unit for people with dementia during the Covid crisis.
Wayne, manager of Crosfield House in Rhayader, has been shortlisted in the category for Leadership and Management in Residential Care in this year’s Wales Care Awards, which is sponsored by Christie and Co.
The awards – dubbed the Oscars of social care - are organised by Care Forum Wales to recognise outstanding work in the care sector.
The ceremony, sponsored by Ontex UK, will be held in City Hall, Cardiff, on October 21, when the host will once again be the popular tenor and radio presenter Wynne Evans, well-known as Gio Compario in the Go Compare TV adverts.
Wayne, 35, from Llanyre, near Llandrindod Wells, was nominated by Matthew Jones, head of the region for the Caron Group, owners of Crosfield House, a 64-bed home.
The new 14-bed unit, known as Ty Derw, opened in November 2021 for residents with dementia and having complex needs.
Wayne was appointed manager five years ago, having spent 11 years in the ambulance service.
Caron Group locked down all its homes in March 2020.
“Thanks to his dedication and commitment to working all hours at Crosfield, he led the team well and managed to keep the virus out of the home for months on end,” said Matthew.
"He worked on establishing the new unit, and introduced technology such as sensory equipment to help strategies for those with challenging behaviour.
“The unit was achieved due to Wayne’s determination to maintain his own clinical skills experience as a paramedic and also to his exemplary leadership."
Wayne said he was amazed to have been nominated and paid tribute to his colleagues at Crosfield House.
“We have 120 staff and it would be nice to be able to nominate all of them,” he said.
Mario Kreft MBE, chair of Care Forum Wales, said the aim of the Wales Care Awards was to recognise the unstinting and remarkable dedication of unsung heroes and heroines across Wales.
He said: “The social care sector is full of wonderful people because it’s not just a job, it’s a vocation – these are people who go the extra mile for others.
“During the Covid crisis, this fantastic workforce rose magnificently to the challenge, putting their own lives on the line to do everything they possibly could to safeguard the people for whom they provide care.
“Unfortunately, it has taken a global pandemic for many other people to realise how important and how significant our social care workforce is."