A quick-thinking care and support worker has won a national award for stepping into action after discovering a fire at the home of an elderly vulnerable Mansfield person who lives on her own.

Lisa Cranston, who works for Caremark (Mansfield and Ashfield), was named Care And Support Worker Of The Year by Caremark UK Ltd at its virtual annual awards conference in London.

The conference heard how Lisa, one of more than 6,000 care and support workers who work for Caremark in the UK, sprung into action on 8th September while leaving a customer’s lunch call.

She was alerted by a member of the public to an alarm sounding at a neighbouring customer’s property.

On entering the property to check the alarm, Lisa discovered the lounge was full of smoke and the elderly lady asleep in a chair, with a bin to the side of her alight.

Lisa quickly jumped into her status as a ‘hero in blue. After checking the customer, Lisa extinguished the fire and opened all the windows in the property to allow the smoke to escape before telephoning emergency services to ensure that appropriate medical treatment was provided.

The elderly lady then woke up, wondering what all the fuss was about. While waiting for the all-clear from the emergency services, Lisa stayed with her to ensure that she was OK and also continued to clean the property to remove smoke residue and ensure that it would remain habitable — as well as advising next of kin of the incident and actions being taken.

Simon Ford, managing director of Caremark (Mansfield and Ashfield), based at Mansfield Business Centre, was full of praise for Lisa and not just because of her heroic actions last September.

He explained: “Lisa has worked tirelessly throughout the (coronavirus) pandemic, enduring many shifts and extra shifts when colleagues were having to self-isolate.

“She continued to care for others with a smile and a cheery disposition, despite having to deal with a tragic accident within her own family, resulting in additional care being required for her son.

“Lisa did this because of her dedication to caring for the most vulnerable members of the community, ensuring that they were reassured in the first few weeks of lockdown.

“We believe that Lisa’s calm and decisive action saved the life of our customer and removed the potential for extensive damage to her property and surrounding flats and other residents.

“Yet in Lisa’s view it was ‘just another day at the office’, ensuring that all of our customers are safe in their home.”