A woman who created a beach in her care home’s garden during lockdown for residents and fellow staff members has won through to the national final of the Great British Care Awards.

Siobhan Henson, of Exemplar Health Care’s Pathways care home, Sutton, won the Care Home Activity Organiser Award at the East Midlands regional finals of the competition.

She was recognised for her outstanding dedication and work ethic, especially during the pandemic. Siobhan was nominated for taking a person-centred approach to her role, working with service users to understand what they enjoy doing, and then building that into their everyday lives.

Judges were impressed by Siobhan’s passion and enthusiasm for her role. They said: “She was able to evidence that experience obtained in former roles was used in the current role. She is passionate about service users accessing the community and achieving their optimal potential.”

At Pathways, Siobhan supports people living with complex learning disabilities. Her goal is to support them to maximise their independence, build their everyday living skills, and live a life as fulfilled as possible.

“I’m thrilled to have been nominated and to have won at the regional ceremony,” she said.

Rachel Calladine, business development director at Exemplar Health Care, added: “We are so delighted for all of the winners of these incredible awards. Siobhan is an asset to Exemplar Health Care and we’re proud to have such dedicated and caring colleagues.

“Her dedication has been unparalleled, and this win just show how incredible our colleagues are when it comes to putting our residents first.”

This year’s Great British Care Awards celebrated frontline workers throughout the United Kingdom for providing exceptional care.