Lorraine Marshall, a Head Care Assistant in Edinburgh, and Georgia Douglas, a Social Worker in North Tyneside, were Reed Carer of the Year 2010 and Reed Social Worker of the Year 2010 respectively.

At a prestigious awards event at the Waldorf Hotel in London (on Thursday 2nd September), guest speaker Dame Joan Bakewell, the first official ‘Voice of Older People’, commented: “From paupers to monarchs, at some point in their lives everyone needs care. The Carers and Social Workers in this room are doing the work of angels. Their work is right at the heart of humanity and I take great heart in the knowledge that it may be one of you caring for me.”

Chosen from 27 finalists, drawn from 14 regions after a record number of nominations, Lorraine and Georgia each received £1,000 worth of holiday vouchers in addition to the accolade of being named Reed Carer of the Year 2010 and Reed Social Worker of the Year 2010.

Reed Carer of the Year
For the last 20 years, Reed Carer of the Year 2010 winner Lorraine Marshall has been working at Libertus Day Care Centre in South Edinburgh, which supports people of all ages who experience physical or learning disabilities or age-related infirmity. Extracts from Lorraine’s Award nominations include: “Lorraine puts so much effort into looking after us. Nothing is too much trouble for her. She is very kind and caring and always makes time to listen to anything you have to say and can be depended on to help. She is a wonderful example to others.”

Lorraine said: “It is fantastic to receive this award, but the simple fact is that I just love being a carer – encouraging people, promoting independence and helping them live a better life. It is really rewarding working with older people. There is always lots of laughter and I love listening to their stories.”

Reed Social Worker of the Year
Reed Social Worker of the Year 2010 Georgia Douglas is based at North Tyneside Hospital in the Discharge Team, and was nominated for all her support, knowledge, expertise and flexibility. Extracts from Georgia’s Award nominations include: “Georgia is passionate about her job and her team, and will always go out of her way to help staff and especially service users. She is a role model to what a manager and social worker should be.”

Commenting on her award, Georgia said: “It is an honour to receive this award and I am so lucky that it is for a job that I love doing. It is rewarding that I am able to support people in times of crisis and make a positive difference in their lives.”

Commenting on the success of this year’s awards, Reed Social Care Director Leslie Weare said: “We were delighted to receive so many nominations for a large number of exceptional individuals working in care and social work. The judging panel had an extremely impressive selection of regional winners to chose from, and Lorraine and Georgia were both deserved winners.”

Reed Global specialise in Social Care recruitment, and in association with Sue Ryder Care, this year’s Reed Carer of the Year Awards attracted nearly 900 nominations and triggered a donation of £10,000 to Sue Ryder Care by Reed.

Via EPR Network
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