Described as ‘selfless’ by her colleagues, Elaine Allison has won a lifetime achievement award for her work helping others for over 20 years.
Elaine has worked at St. Bartholomew’s Court Nursing Home for 25 years and was recognised at the Our Health Heroes Awards ceremony which was held in London earlier this month. NHS England, NHS Employers and NHS Shared Business Services supported the event.
As well as providing exceptional care, during her career, Elaine has overcome various challenges, not least being diagnosed with bladder cancer and suffering a bereavement at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Despite all the odds, Elaine has been praised for continuing to have the energy and commitment of people half her age.
The majority of the care home’s staff has been with Elaine throughout her time as a matron, which is unusual for the sector. According to the latest findings from the Kings Fund, in 2022/23 the overall social care vacancy rate was 9.9% – equivalent to 152,000 roles.
The fact that staff have stuck with Elaine, it showcases her talent to create unbreakable bonds with those she works with. A number of St. Barts’ have even brought their own relatives to be cared for at the home as they trust the strong leadership and clinical supervision that the team receives.
Whilst receiving her award, Elaine said: ‘After a 14-year career in district nursing, I moved to the nursing home care sector. I’ve gone to work to enjoy work, it’s been a vocation, wherever I’ve worked. And the 25 years at St. Barts have been the best years of my life and has given me so much. It’s been nice to be around residents and to give them the best quality life in the last years of life, so too the staff that want to grow and develop and want to achieve so much. I’m humbled that people voted for me and to win this award.’
Image: Elaine Allison
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