Sheffield Cares Excellence Awards 2025

Home care is about supporting people around living well in their own homes. It helps them maintain their independence, dignity and control. 

This Award was presented by Researcher Becky Driscoll from the University of Sheffield’s Centre for Care.

The winners were:

• Alison Taylor from Home Instead, for Support and Leadership
• Darren Leigh from Be Caring, for Commitment to Care
• Lynette Doughty from Home Instead, for Commitment to Care
• Oliver Vembo from Cera Care, for Respect, Equality and Inclusion
• Tanya Chichekova from Home Instead, for Compassion in Care

The 2025 Care Excellence Award for Homecare was awarded to Tanya Chichekova.

Residential and Nursing care provides accommodation, 24-hour care and support to people who are unable to live safely at home.

This Award was presented by Kate Hamblin, Director of the Centre for Care at the University of Sheffield.

The winners were:

• Kathryn Rawling from Sheffcare, for Respect, Equality and Inclusion
• S D from Abbeyfield Grange, for Compassion in Care
• Tracey Howe from Ascot Lodge, for Support and Leadership
• Zoe Johnson from STEPS Rehabilitation, for Commitment to Care

The 2025 Care Excellence Award for Residential and Nursing Care was awarded to Kathryn Rawling.
 

Supported Living and Day Services provide support and care to promote independent living and a range of opportunities for adults with differing support needs and interests.

This Award was presented by Julie Derbyshire, South Yorkshire Regional Lead and Community Manager from Tomato Energy, from Tomato Energy.

The winners were:

• Joyce Gordon from Carewatch Sheffield, for Compassion in Care
• Lisa Holland from SHAPED for Respect, Equality and Inclusion
• Jayne Milner from Sensations Day Service, for Support and Leadership
• Gillian Madey from Mansfield View, for Commitment to Care

The 2025 Care Excellence Award for Supported Living and Day Services was awarded to Lisa Holland.

Shared Lives is a form of social care support that takes place in family homes.

People from all walks of life offer themselves, their families and their homes to provide support to people over the age of 16 who need additional help and a caring environment to live in. This could be:

• a long-term placement
• a short break
• a few hours of support every week

This Award was presented by Councillor Laura McClean, Member of the Health and Social Care Policy Committee.

The winners were:

• Vicky Bennett for Commitment to Care
• Paula and Steve McIlroy-Wright for Commitment to Care
• Sandra Scott for Compassion in Care

The 2025 Care Excellence Award for Shared Lives was awarded to Paula and Steve McIlroy-Wright.

There are over 11,000 unpaid carers in Sheffield who provide care and support for family members, friends and neighbours.

This Award was presented by Janet Kerr, Assistant Director, Children and Families, Sheffield City Council.

The winners were:

• Mathew Booth for Commitment to Care
• Anniyah Ishtiaq for Commitment to Care
• Amber Raynes for Personalised Support

The 2025 Care Excellence Award for Unpaid Carers was awarded to Mathew Booth.

There are over 7000 Young Carers in Sheffield providing care for a relative who has:

• disabilities
• long-term physical illnesses
• mental health difficulties
• drug or alcohol issues

The Award for Young Carers was presented by Chelsea Renehan, Head of Youth Services at Sheffield City Council.

The winners were:

• Evie Bradfield, Primary Age
• BDC, Primary Age
• Cassidy Fauvel, Secondary Age
• Haleem Imran, Secondary Age
• Anniyah Ishtiaq, Secondary Age
• Gabi Ross, Secondary Age
• Delano Redhead, Young Adult

The 2025 Care Excellence Award for Young Carers was awarded to BDC, Anniyah Ishtiaq and Delano Redhead.

The role of a Personal Assistant (PA) can come under enabler, support worker or a facilitator. They support an individual with living independently. This could be at home, outside or at work. 

This Award was presented by Mary Gardner, Strategic Commissioning Manager for Direct Payments and Personalised Support, Sheffield City Council.

The winners were:

• Rabab Al-Azzani for Compassion in Care
• Sam Barlow for Personalised Support
• Danny Livermore for Respect, Equality and Inclusion
• Lisa Markham for Commitment to Care

The 2025 Care Excellence Award for Personal Assistants and Individual Employers was awarded to Rabab Al-Azzani.

Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector plays a key role in improving health, wellbeing and care outcomes.

The support they provide covers everything from:

• housing
• legal advice
• advocacy
• financial advice
• various support groups (such as around alcohol, drugs gambling and smoking)
• domestic abuse charities
• social supermarkets
• lunch clubs

Their paid staff and army of volunteers do outstanding work with the most vulnerable people in our society.

This Award was presented by Julie Derbyshire South Yorkshire Regional Lead and Community Manager from Tomato Energy.

The winners were:

• Sharmistha Bal from Sheffield Mencap and Gateway, for Respect, Equality and Inclusion
• Ben Cooper from S6 Foodbank, for Support and Leadership
• Jo-Anne Van Levesley from Darnall Wellbeing, for Commitment to Care
• Sue Straw from IBK Initiatives for Support and Leadership

The 2025 Care Excellence Award for the Voluntary Sector was awarded to Rabab Al-Azza

There are all kinds of different Support Roles in social care. Without them the system wouldn’t function. This includes:

• commissioning new services
• making sure people get paid
• supporting with recruitment or professional development

It was presented by Catherine Bunton, Deputy Director of Adult Social Services – Strategy, Governance and Workforce Delivery, Sheffield City Council.

The winners were:

• Lucy Bridden from Likewise, for Compassion in Care
• Linda Elliott from the Short-Term Intervention Team, for Support and Leadership
• Chinice Jarrett from the Short-Term Intervention Team, for Commitment to Care
• Scott Thomas from the Prevention and Reablement Team, for Personalised Support

The 2025 Care Excellence Award for Support Roles was awarded to Lucy Bridden.

Specialist nursing roles are a vital part of our care sector. They’re a great progression route for staff who want to build their knowledge and develop their clinical or specialist skills.

This Award was presented by Jo Lidster, Head of the School of Health and Social Care, Sheffield Hallam University.

The winners were:

• Helen Baston from Stocksbridge Neuro Centre, for Support and Leadership

The 2025 Care Excellence Award for Support Roles was awarded to Helen Baston.

Occupational Therapy Roles have an important part to play in supporting holistic social care. Their creative and person-centred approach helps people to live their best life at home, at work and everywhere else.

Their work with people focusses on recommending practical, realistic and personal adjustments to elevate everyday life.

This Award was presented by Aimee France, Associate Head of Health and Social Care Apprenticeships, Sheffield Hallam University.

• Shelagh Carter from Occupational Therapy and Adapted Housing, for Lifetime Commitment
• Rebecca Cutts from Woodhill Lodge, for Commitment to Care
• Amanda Faulkner from Occupational Therapy and Adapted Housing, for Dignity in Care

The 2025 Care Excellence Award for Occupational Therapy Roles was awarded to Rebecca Cutts.

There are a range of different Social Work roles in:

• hospitals
• courts
• prisons
• schools
• charities
• the community

This Award was presented by Ruth Bastin, Course Leader for the Social Work Degree Apprenticeship, Sheffield Hallam University.

The winners were:

• Paul Chetwood from the Continuing Health Care Team, for Commitment to Care
• Jodie Christian from Ecclesall Support Unit, for Respect, Equality and Inclusion
• Elizabeth Cullen from Children’s Social Care, for Commitment to Care
• Michelle Musson, Kerry Sherridan, and Matthew Wainwright from Adult Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), for Support and Leadership

The 2025 Care Excellence Award for Social Work Roles was awarded to Paul Chetwood.

The Newcomer, or Apprentice Award, was for someone who had started working in care within the past 12 months and was already having a positive impact and delivering the very best standard.

We were looking for someone enthusiastic with a clear commitment to their on-going career development.

It was presented by Aimee France, Associate Head of Health and Social Care Apprenticeships, Sheffield Hallam University.

The winner of the 2025 Sheffield Cares Newcomer Award is Juma Mohammed, Care Professional from Pingley Court Care Home.

The Personalised Support Award is about enabling and empowering people to live the life they want to live and making sure people stay in control of their choices.

We were looking for someone who put co-production at the heart of their work and did everything possible to make sure their support was personalised for every individual they encountered.

This Award was presented by Alexis Chappell, Strategic Director of Adult Care and Wellbeing, Sheffield City Council.

The winner of the 2025 Sheffield Cares Personalised Support Award is Amber Raynes, Personal Assistant and Unpaid Carer.

The Dignity Award is based on the 10 dignity-dos from the national dignity in Care campaign.

We were looking for someone whose values and behaviour put dignity at the heart of everything they do.

This Award was presented by the Right Worshipful, the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Jayne Dunn.

The winner of the 2025 Sheffield Cares Dignity Award is Andreea Munteanu, Care Professional from Home Instead.

Social Care Heroes is a Sheffield charity designed by care workers, for care workers.

As well as providing tailored support for carers, they have 4, free to use, Staff Wellbeing Pods in Sheffield for carers who don’t have a permanent base.

They offer bespoke programmes on:

• nutrition
• health and fitness
• emotional wellbeing
• menopause awareness
• and more

This Award was presented by Seb Kane, Social Care Heroes Wellbeing Coach.

The winner of the 2025 Sheffield Cares Social Care Heroes Award is Bridget Berwick, Care Professional from Beechy Knoll Care Home.

There were many brilliant nominations for the Team Award. We read about caring and supportive teams who are delivering brilliant services every day for the people of Sheffield.

This Award was presented by Councillor Angela Argenzio, Chair of the Health and Social Care Policy Committee.

The 2025 Runner-Up Teams were:

• Burton Street Foundation
• Adult Care and Wellbeing First Contact Team
• Aspire PC Operations Team
• Adult Care and Wellbeing Direct Payments Team
• STEPS Rehabilitation Team
• Creative Support’s Mansfield View Team 

The winner of the 2025 Sheffield Cares Team Award is Peile House YWCA (Claire Harding, Helen Thompson, Jackie Broadhead, Leigh-Ann Tasker, Patience Amos, Louise O’Leary, Sofie McNally, Dave Broadhead, Mandy Bond, Claire Pearson and Lisa Day).

This was for an exceptional person who has committed their working life to caring for others and made a substantial difference to the people they’ve worked with.

We wanted someone who was highly regarded and whose dedication to working in the care sector inspired those who worked alongside them.

This Award was presented by Kate Josephs, Chief Executive Officer for Sheffield City Council.

• The Lifetime Achievement Nominees were
• Heather Wells from Children’s Social Care
• Helen Gibson from Springwood Residential Home
• Jennifer Collier from Longley Hall
• Julie Wright from Nightingale Care Home
• Kathryn Pearson from Carewatch Sheffield
• Kim Morley from Crystal Peaks, Adult Social Care
• Sareena Stenson from Carewatch Sheffield
• Shelagh Carter from Occupational Therapy and Adapted Housing
• Susan Dimler from Inspirations Day Service

The winner of the 2025 Sheffield Cares Lifetime Achievement Award is Kim Morley, Social Care Practitioner from Crystal Peaks Social Work Team, Sheffield City Council.