Carers of East Lothian CEO Jessica Wade and the rest of the team of staff and volunteers are thrilled to announce that the organisation have successfully achieved the Carers Trust Excellence for Carers Award. The award follows a rigorous assessment of CoEL’s services to unpaid carers across East Lothian.
Welcoming the award for Carers of East Lothian, CEO Jess Wade said: ‘I am absolutely delighted to see the hard work and commitment of our skilled team of staff and volunteers recognised through this award. We want local carers to have the best possible support available. As well as recognition of the high quality support we are providing, the Excellence for Carers process gives the opportunity to identify areas for development, and we look forward to working with local carers to take these forward.’
The assessment report acknowledged CoEL’s person-centred approach, their focus on improving the lives of carers and a genuine partnership approach with carers as real strengths of the organisation.
Carers Trust remarked on the dedication and values of the staff team, management team and Trustees. A genuine can- do attitude was observed where the team sought opportunities to overcome challenges and carers were observed to be at the heart of all services and all service developments.
CoEL was described as creative and innovative in its approach. The breadth and depth of the service provision offered to date and the development of service provision as a response to unmet needs was noted as a clear strength of the organisation.
A focus group of unpaid carers contributed to the assessment process and Carers Trust reported that members spoke incredibly positively about Carers of East Lothian, articulating that they felt like equal partners in the organisation and that being part of the organisation gave them a genuine voice.
Helen Oliver, Quality and Improvement Manager at Carers Trust, commented:
“We are delighted to be able to present the Excellence for Carers award to Carers of East Lothian. The passion and commitment of the teams to provide excellent services for the benefit of unpaid carers really shone through.”
“The team showed a genuine can-do attitude, opportunities to overcome challenges are continually sought and carers are at the heart of all services and all service developments. The service is clearly creative and innovative in their approach.”
“We were able to hear firsthand from carers about the positive impact of the services provided and the life changing difference accessing the support has made. We very much look forward to working with them moving forwards as their services continue to thrive.”
David Binnie, Unpaid Carers Representative on East Lothian Integration Joint Board for Health and Social Care acknowledged the award:
“Congratulations to everyone at Carers of East Lothian. This is a true reflection, and thoroughly deserved acknowledgement, of the excellence that Carers of East Lothian delivers across its services and support for unpaid carers throughout East Lothian.”
About Excellence for Carers
Excellence for Carers is the Carers Trust organisational standard for best practice in delivering services, information, and advice to unpaid carers. It is awarded to partner charities (Network Partners) within the Carers Trust Network able to demonstrate both an existing excellence of service to unpaid carers and a culture that fosters continuous improvement and striving for excellence. Carers Trust developed the award so charities within its Network are continually evaluating and improving the quality of services, thereby improving the quality of life for unpaid carers across the UK.
To read the full report, please follow this link:Excellence For Carers Report Carers of East Lothian
Photo Credit: Louise Anne Kennedy
Photo l to r: Catherine Cain, Volunteer and Training Coordinator, Carers of East Lothian, Gemma Twells-Davison, Communications and Engagement Coordinator, Carers of East Lothian, Alan Dunton, Board Member, Carers of East Lothian, Becky Duff, Director for Scotland, Carers Trust, Jess Wade, Chief Executive Officer, Carers of East Lothian
