Hartlepool care manager wins nationwide Cygnet Health Care award for 'can do' attitude

Cygnet Health Care launched the first ever Cygnet Staff Achievement Awards to celebrate its caring, dedicated and hard-working colleagues.

Held at the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham, the inaugural event recognised the individuals and teams who made outstanding contributions towards ensuring service users receive the highest standard of care.

The empower award was for a team or individual that has helped to empower others by inspiring, motivating and making things happen.

Among the qualities judges looked for was evidence of a "can do” attitude.Winner Jamie Speight is the service manager at Hope House, in Hutton Avenue, Hartlepool, which supports adults living with a learning disability.

She was presented with the award by BBC presenter JJ Chalmers, who was guest of honour at the event.

Cygnet director of HR Jenny Gibson said: “Jamie has been great at encouraging the Hope House team to share their expertise in learning disability care, bringing more knowledge and personal development across the entire service.“She really focuses on the strengths of her team and supports them to pursue their career goals. She encourages staff to broaden their experiences at different Cygnet services and challenges colleagues by promoting a sense of ambition.”Jamie herself said: “I feel shocked, I didn’t expect it at all. Every day is different in my job, you never know what you will walk into and that is what I love about it.“Supporting people whether it be staff or service users is very rewarding. These awards have been brilliant, it has felt like a really special occasion to celebrate each other’s successes and I am proud to be a part of it.”Cygnet Health Care supports individuals with mental health needs, learning disabilities and autism and employs nearly 11,000 staff nationwide.

Chief executive Dr Tony Romero said: “Through the nominations process we saw so many wonderful examples of how our staff go above and beyond and step up to work outside of their role, sacrificing their time and dedication for the benefit of the individuals in their care.

"Jamie is the embodiment of this and I congratulate her for all she has achieved.”