George is named as a hero for Ladymead

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.

George Pereira has worked at Ladymead nursing home in Swindon for the last 10 years – he is described as being an absolute asset to the home and to the company. George originally joined the home as a care assistant and within no time was promoted to a senior carer, before completing the care home assistant practitioner course.  This has been his role for the last seven years.

George has exceptional interpersonal skills providing assurance and the highest quality of care for our residents. He has forged strong relationships with the wider multi-disciplinary team members and is described as being ‘very popular with them.’

At the start of the pandemic in 2020 a number of residents tested positive for Covid. Some staff needed to isolate but others resigned with immediate effect due to fear. George was there to steady the ship and provide enormous support to everyone – he once said to the manager ‘ We will be here with you – we wont leave you; we wont leave Ladymead and we wont leave our residents.’ His words as ever soon became action, with George working 18 days in a row to cover staff absences.

George is a true hero in every sense of the word.

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 George is one of those heroes.”

Pip Rich