Celebrating excellence and innovation

10 December 2024

Sanctuary Care colleagues gathered for an awards ceremony at the Sanctuary Care Home Managers' Conference 2024

We’re proud to share the highlights of Sanctuary Care’s recent Home Managers’ Conference, where our care home managers from England and Scotland, along with operational and support team colleagues, united for an inspirational and memorable day. From motivational guest speakers to the launch of exciting learning opportunities, the event celebrated excellence, dedication and teamwork.

Inspirational guest speakers - One of the standout moments was an incredibly emotional talk by former newsreader John Suchet and his wife, Nula. Their extraordinary story began when their respective spouses, Bonnie and James, who both lived with dementia, were cared for in the same home. Through shared experiences, they supported each other during their journeys, ultimately becoming advocates for others navigating the challenges of dementia. As ambassadors for the Alzheimer’s Society, they shared their inspiring journeys and insights into the impact of dementia on loved ones, offering hope and support to others in similar circumstances.

Experiencing life with dementia - Attendees participated in an exercise designed to simulate the physical effects of dementia on daily tasks. By wearing weights on their wrists, vision limiting goggles, gloves and ear defenders, they attempted activities like buttoning a shirt or drawing a picture, gaining a deeper understanding of how dementia impacts dexterity and orientation. This experience was a powerful reminder of the debilitating impact that dementia has on the body, and enabled attendees to realise for themselves how some in their care may be feeling.

Taskmaster-inspired challenges - The conference took a light-hearted turn with leadership activities inspired by the popular comedy gameshow Taskmaster. The audience was in stitches as our Regional Directors navigated a hilarious task involving cheese crackers, culminating in a victory for Scotland’s Will McGregor, who, in keeping with the gameshow, walked away with some delightfully quirky prizes.

Launch of Rising Stars - Sanctuary Care reaffirmed its commitment to enriching the lives of our staff, by nurturing talent and championing career progression, with the launch of the ‘Rising Stars’ programme. Designed to prepare Deputy Managers for future roles as Home Managers, this initiative offers participants expert training in everything from quality and compliance to hospitality, health and safety, and finance.

Reflecting on the day, our Director of Operations Sheila O’Connor shared, “I am enormously proud to have the opportunity to celebrate our incredible people.

“Our annual conference is a chance to share experiences, showcase excellence, shape our future and inspire one another, united by our dedication and passion for care.”

Celebrating excellence - The day concluded with an awards ceremony celebrating outstanding contributions and achievements across Sanctuary Care. Awards recognised:

Long Service: Honouring those who have dedicated years of service to enriching the lives of residents – the winners were:

Denise Newton - Ashwood Park - 10 years

Joanne Unitt - East Park Court - 10 years

Kerry-Ann Lake - Trevarna - 10 years

Christine Singer - Broadmeadow Court - 15 years

David Coker - Athlone House - 15 years