Awards from inside and out

General managers from one of Australia’s larger groups of aged care facilities have been awarded for outstanding achievement, while another company has rewarded their staff for long service and a third has been recognised externally – by its local governm

Above: Christine Gannon and Gilly Podd, centre, shared in the Bupa General Manager of the Year Award.

Bupa Aged Care has recognised its most outstanding general managers for achievements in a range of categories, including resident care, staff satisfaction and innovations in lifestyle, at its recent Care Home Awards ceremony.

The 10 awards recognised excellence in aged care across a variety of categories, and were presented at a gala dinner held in the NSW Hunter Valley, culminating in the prestigious General Manager of the Year and Care Home of the Year trophies.

This year Bupa presented its first-ever Chairman’s Award to Heather McKibbin, general manager at Bupa Bellarine in Geelong, who had “a stellar year” in 2011 according to her employer.

This included winning three Better Practice in Aged Care Awards, and being invited to morning tea with the NSW Governor, Marie Bashir, to celebrate her Walk Around Australia initiative.

The nine other awards included: Continuous Improvement; Resident Satisfaction; Staff Satisfaction; Staff Dedication; Customer Service; Making a Difference; Outstanding Care; Personal Best, and Care Home of the Year.

The winning general managers in each category all went along to the ceremony with a chance to win the General Manager of the Year Award, voted on by their peers on the night.

In a surprise result, there was a tie for the first time, with Gilly Podd from Bupa Roseville and Christine Gannon from Bupa Maroubra, both in Sydney, being named joint winners after all votes were counted.

Both had received their initial awards for their impact on their staff, Ms Podd taking out the Staff Dedication Award, and Ms Roseville winning the Staff Satisfaction category. 

Last year’s General Manager of the Year, Jenny Foley, won the prestigious Care Home of the Year Award, and used the occasion to thank her team at Bupa Greensborough in Melbourne.

Many years of Tender Loving Care

Victoria’s TLC Aged Care has acknowledged its long-standing employees at its third annual Years of Service award ceremony. 

This year’s celebration, held at the Leonda By The Yarra function centre in Melbourne, saw 85 employees awarded Years of Service certificates for five, 10 and 15 years of service to the company.

Above: TLC Aged Care employees with certificates for long service.

The TLC Employee of the Year was also announced during the ceremony, with the title going to My Lee, who works in the Lifestyle Team at the Marina Home in Altona.

“I love my job so much, I would do it for nothing. But don’t tell my boss,” said Ms Lee, who also received a Years of Service award on the night. 

TLC’s chief executive, Ingrid Williams, is herself a long standing employee with over 8 years service.

“For a family business that is only 20 years old, acknowledging and rewarding staff that have been with the business for five, 10 and sometimes 15 years is a great opportunity for us to let our team know what an important part of the business they are,” Ms Williams said.

A good win for Goodwin

Goodwin Aged Care Services has received public recognition for over 50 years service to the Canberra community, in the ACT Chief Minister’s Canberra Gold Awards.

Goodwin’s CEO, Chris Lamont, thanked the ACT chief minister, Katy Gallagher, for the award and said that it confirmed Goodwin’s high standing in the nation’s capital.

“This award confirms Goodwin’s status in the ACT community as a reliable and trustworthy provider of seniors’ care and accommodation,” Mr Lamont said. 

“I would like to thank residents and staff for their ongoing support and commitment to the organisation. With a commitment to continuous improvement and plans for further growth we look forward to another 50 years of service to the Canberra community.”

Tags: awards, bupa, goodwin, staff, tlc,

Leave a Reply