Karen is named as a hero for Thurrock Branch

Healthcare Homes colleagues were delighted to get together at a company conference and awards last week to recognize staff and teams who work throughout our family of 48 homes and 11 homecare branches.

And whilst it was recognized that every health and social care employee is undoubtedly a hero, and every Healthcare Homes team was awarded an Inspirational Team of the Year Award, managers had also been asked to recommend individuals for the Hero Awards 2022.

Karen Harman is one of 24 individuals who were presented with a Hero Award 2022. She is described as having ‘given her all’ to the Thurrock branch of Manorcourt Homecare through what has been a very difficult period with the pandemic and transferring to a new IT system.

Karen’s commitment to her team and service users has ensured that the branch remained stable and our customers continued to receive the best possible quality of care.

Karen has taken the new system ion board and enjoyed helping others to understand and use the system. Karen was promoted to Deputy manager just before the Covid hit us so has not had an easy time with many carers isolating or on furlough.

Her manager says  ‘I don’t think I would have been able to have continued without her tireless support for me. When I’ve felt like I’ve had enough she just says to me “Come on we can do this”. Honestly we have said this to each other so many times it should be inscribed on our tombstones!!!

Gordon Cochrane, chief executive officer, told the audience, “ I’m delighted to say that we were inundated with nominations for people that managers wanted to be recognized as absolute stars, the backbones of our homes and branches, the heroes we simply cannot do without and Karen  is one of those heroes.”

Pip Rich