A nurse\u2019s commitment to ensuring dementia patients are treated with dignity has seen her scoop two top awards at a celebration honouring the best carers in Wales.
\nRachelle Beasley from Bridgend said her double success in this year\u2019s Wales Care Awards had left her \u201cbeyond shocked\u201d.
\nAt the care celebration, held at the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff, Rachelle won a gold award in the Excellence in Dementia Care category, sponsored by Hallmark Care Homes and Camascope Ltd.
\nAnd she picked up a second gold award after being named a winner in the Dignity in Care Award category, sponsored by the Welsh Government.
\nRachelle works as a Regional Senior Nurse for HC-One Wales\u2019 residential, nursing and dementia care homes.
\nIn her role, Rachelle helps ensure high-quality nursing and clinical care across 14 homes in Wales, located in Cardiff, Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Carmarthen, Port Talbot and Swansea.
\nShe said the glittering awards night was a terrific celebration of the excellent work which goes on day in and day out within the social care sector – and to pick up two gold awards on the evening had left her stunned.
\nRachelle said: \u201cI must say, I was beyond shocked, especially with the second one, the Dignity in Care Award.
\n\u201cI was looking at the screen thinking \u2018I wonder who this could be then, I wonder if I know them?’
\n\u201cThen the names came out and I was like \u2018Oh, my goodness, that\u2019s me\u2019.
\n\u201cI could not believe it, it was such a shock.
\n\u201cHow I walked up to the stage and managed to get up the steps, I don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nRachelle said being recognised for her work in ensuring residents were treated with dignity was particularly pleasing.
\nShe said: \u201cThe ethos of treating everyone with dignity is so important to me, it\u2019s my absolute passion.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t think we all think enough about how an individual feels.
\n\u201cWe have a voice for ourselves, but we also need to be the voice for other people who can\u2019t speak up for themselves.\u201d
\nRachelle said the awards evening allowed a spotlight to be put on everything that is good within the care sector.
\nShe said: \u201cIt was an amazing evening, I am still buzzing now, it reminds you how fortunate we are to work alongside such dedicated people in a profession which we all love.
\n\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t do it if we didn\u2019t love it.
\n\u201cHow many professions out there do you go to work and genuinely love what you do?
\n\u201cWe go to work to love and care for people.
\n\u201cWe all share the same commitment to provide that person-centred care.
\n\u201cThe recognition is not just for me, it is for everyone who was there on that day and everybody in the teams who support us and inspire us every day.
\n\u201cWe couldn\u2019t do it if we didn\u2019t have such amazing teams that work with us, work with our families and work with our residents.
\n\u201cEven though I was recognised and I was given an amazing honour of the awards, it\u2019s really for everybody that I work with.
\n\u201cThey inspire me every day to do my best, so it\u2019s a collective award.
\n\u201cWe do what we do every day and we take it for granted that that is our passion, but it\u2019s lovely to be recognised for our work too.
\n\u201cOur work is a challenge, we\u2019ve been through Covid, and now we\u2019re going through the harshest financial challenges and it impacts us every day, but we need to remember it\u2019s the small things that we do together which makes the big difference.
\n\u201cIt is about making sure we are always compassionate, making that human connection with our residents and our families and with each other as well.
\n\u201cThe award in the Excellence in Dementia Care category allows me to shine a light on how to connect with our residents who are living with dementia, how to make sure we are living alongside them and meeting them where they are.
\n\u201cIt is great motivation to carry on with our work with our residents who are living with dementia, it\u2019s a hugely positive thing and I am just so thankful to be recognised for the work that we do.\u201d
\nRachelle, who has been a registered nurse for 25 years, was nominated by Aileen Beatty, Head of Dementia Care at HC-One.
\nAileen said Rachelle was \u201cwarm and caring, good humoured and empathetic, yet demanding of high standards of dignity and care at all times without compromise\u201d.
\nShe said: \u201cRachelle makes a difference every day and has a natural inclination to do what is right.\u201d
\nThe Wales Care Awards, organised by Care Forum Wales with the support of overall sponsor Meddyg Care, celebrate the dedication of frontline social care professionals.
\nMario Kreft MBE, Chair of Care Forum Wales, said the Wales Care Awards once again shone a light on the \u201cunsung heroes and heroines\u201d who make a vital difference to the lives of vulnerable people across the nation.
\nHe said: \u201cFor more than 30 years, Care Forum Wales has worked tirelessly to champion the social care sector.
\n\u201cThe Wales Care Awards underlines the importance of the sector \u2013 it\u2019s the glue that binds our communities together, both socially and economically.
\n\u201cOur mission has always been to be the voice of social care in Wales to stand up for the workforce and ensure their dedication is properly recognised.\u201d
\nA special moment in the evening when Mair Elis Thomas, widow of the late Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas, took to the stage to present one of the awards.
\nAccording to Mr Kreft it was a touching gesture that reflected Lord Elis Thomas\u2019s long standing support for the Wales Care Award and for social care more broadly.
\n\u201cDafydd was a passionate believer in the power of the arts to enrich lives and support wellbeing and mental health,\u201d said Mr Kreft.
\n\u201cHe is greatly missed, but his legacy lives on \u2013 not only through his contribution to public life as a Presiding Officer, but also through the positive impact he had on so many communities.\u201d<\/p>\n