Leeds residents help choose company's carer of the year awards.
A company which provides homecare in Leeds has used nominations from its customers and staff to choose the winners of its first-ever carer of the year awards
The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen, was the guest of honour at the award ceremony held by Caremark Leeds this month.
Over two sessions, just under 60 carers received awards as a result of nominations from the people they care for in both cities, with the management team also selecting people they felt were deserving.
The overall Care Assistant of the Year award went to Shifau Bello.
The 33-year-old mum-of-two was singled out by many of her customers for her hard work and caring nature.
One customer said: “Shifau is a lovely girl who is always reliable, shows empathy and has a pleasant manner and shows empathy.”
Another said: “Shifau respects my view and independence and always makes sure I have a smile on my face when she leaves.”
Shifau, who joined Caremark in 2022, said: “I was honoured just to be nominated for the awards and I was not expecting to win because there are lots of great carers who have been with the company longer than I have and I have never been the kind of person who seeks recognition.
“But discovering I had received the most nominations really touched me and I am very proud and grateful to win this award.
“It showed me that my hard work and effort has not go unnoticed and that motivates me to do even more for my customers. I simply want to do my job well, make sure my customers are happy and put a smile on their faces.”
Councillor Cohen said: “It’s clear that the carers are doing amazing work ensuring residents can live independently at home and with dignity.
“On behalf of the city of Leeds I would like to say a huge thank you for everything they do and I was honoured to be asked to present the awards.”
Farina Tayub, Caremark Leeds Managing Director, said: “We were delighted to be able to stage our first-ever carer of the year awards and to recognise so many of our amazing carers.
“We are proud of everyone who was nominated and everyone else who works for Caremark Leeds who go above and beyond each and every day to ensure people in our communities can remain in their own homes.”
Caremark Leeds was established in 2008 and was one of the first 15 franchises established under the Caremark brand, which now has 140 companies providing care across the UK and Ireland.
The company also provides homecare services in Bradford and employs 150 staff.