Wrexham Carer Receives Gold Standard Award

Rebecca Griffiths from Wrexham who won won the residential care practitioner category at The Wales Care Awards.

It started as a way to make holiday money, but now it’s turned to gold.

Rebecca Griffiths turned her back on a teaching career because she found caring for others so rewarding.

Now she has been rewarded, with a top gold award in the caring profession’s most prestigious awards scheme.

The Wales Care Awards recognise the unsung heroes by rewarding the best in the caring professions. The Oscar style presentation night was held in association with Care Forum Wales, the organisation which represents more than 500 care homes and independent care sector organisations.

Rebecca was one of the bigger winners on the night coming top in the residential care practitioner category.

Born in Acrefair, where her parents still live, Rebecca moved to Bromsgrove in Worcestershire to study for a degree in early childhood studies, with a view to becoming a teacher.

“In the last year of my degree I started working in a care home for a bit of money, but after a couple of weeks I really liked it and I’ve been in care ever since,” said Rebecca who later returned to live in Wrexham.

“I really enjoyed spending time with the residents.”

As a single mum she took a couple of years out to bring up daughter Seren, now seven and at school, and then went to work as a carer in Pendine Park care organisation’s Highfield nursing home, where she is now senior care practitioner.

“A major part of my role now is preparing person centred care plans. I sit and talk to the patient and their families, finding out about that person, what they used to do and what their hobbies were, perhaps trying to get them interested in that hobby again,” said Rebecca.

“It’s nice finding out about a person and helps you look after them in a better way when you know what they like and what makes them happy. If I were in a home there are ways I would want to be treated, and that is the way I approach everyone else.

“It can be taxing with Seren so young, but the hours fit in around her schooling and I’m lucky in having a lot of support from my family.”

Rebecca has achieved the NVQ 2 and 3 in care and Level 3 in customer services and has almost finished her assessor award which will enable her to assess candidates for the diploma in health and social care.

She took her sister Hayley, also a Pendine employee at the Hillbury residential home, to the awards ceremony in Cardiff, and Rebecca said she was shocked to be even nominated.

Her manager Tracey Smith, who nominated her, said: “Becca has proved herself to be motivated, committed and passionate and never fails to deliver high standards of care to all residents.”