Senior nursing care assistant, Jane Reynolds, added the Palliative Care Award at the GB Care Awards South West to the Palliative, Day Service and Live-In Worker Award she won at the Care and Support West Awards in October.
The judges said: “The way Jane talked about her job made me feel I would like her to be there if I had a loved one dying. She was so gentle, passionate and compassionate and looks after everyone, the dying person, their family and all the staff with the same gentle ease.”
Reynolds works at the St Monica Trust’s John Wills House care home in Westbury-on-Trym, whose leadership has been rated as ‘outstanding’ by Care Quality Commission inspectors.
John Wills House care home manager, Wendy Leaman, says: “Jane’s work at Beeches One, our end of life unit, is second to none. She can quite literally find a solution to every problem and always with a smile on her face. The unit just wouldn’t be the same without her - she is simply irreplaceable.”
“Jane is well recognised as the go to person for all staff who at times can struggle with the realities of looking after residents who are dying. Informally, she provides her own brand of comfort – which often involves a great big hug, a few tears and sometimes, a naughty joke!”
Jane has worked for the St Monica Trust for 26 years and credits caring for her terminally ill mum as the inspiration for her career: “I was working as a shop assistant when mum became ill and I knew nothing about people dying. There was no-one I could talk to or ask questions and I was left with the feeling that things could’ve been handled much better for mum and me.
“After she died, I knew that I wanted to care for people and that I could use what I’d experienced to help others. For me now, looking back, I think it’s because of mum that I am able do the job I love and I’ll be forever grateful to her.”
The Great South West Care Awards is part of the Great British Care Awards, a series of nine regional awards celebrating excellence across the care sector.
The purpose of the awards is to promote best practice within both the home care and care homes sectors and to pay tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work.
More than 400 people from across the south west attended a glittering awards ceremony at Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol, on 25 October where the category winners were announced.
In winning her second award, Jane Reynolds has qualified for the National GB Care Awards, which will be held at Birmingham’s ICC on 20 March 2020.
Located in Westbury-on-Trym, John Wills House is a care home with nursing, which offers respite and rehabilitation services, specialist care for those who are living with dementia and also for those with general nursing needs.
