Wigan care worker given prestigious new award

A care worker in Wigan has been given a prestigious new award recognising her outstanding contribution to adult social care.

Hayley Plant, branch manager of home care services provider My Care My Home, received the honour from the Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care for her work in the care sector.

Since joining the agency, Hayley has been keen to introduce easier ways for care to be paid for and has worked with Wigan Council to establish a direct payment service.

She said: “I’m extremely honoured to receive such a prestigious award in my sector. Being recognised for doing something I’m passionate about is an amazing feeling.

“This year has been very tough on us all and has sometimes meant that our resources have become very thinly stretched. Thankfully, all of our staff are very dedicated to their roles which has allowed us to carry on doing what we love.”

Hayley’s work mostly involves the day-to-day operation of Wigan Community Services, a domiciliary care service run and maintained by My Care My Home employees, providing care and support to 85 service users in the area.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Hayley’s team frequently had to operate at reduced capacity due to staff absences, but the level of service provided did not falter thanks to her efforts.

She was nominated for the Government award by her peers at My Care My Home.

A representative said: “Hayley has stepped into these situations with a caring and unselfish attitude. She has worked seven days a week on occasions, made herself available via telephone and made house visits to ensure that there is someone our clients can talk to and share memories of their loved ones with.

“She has become the informal carer with her priority being to ease the emotional impact felt by the bereaved for as long as was needed.”