The Housing with Care Awards are all about recognising and celebrating excellence in the care industry, which is why we are so very proud of our colleague Samantha Wade for her achievement.
Samantha was nominated for the Team Leader Award, and because she is super humble, let us tell you why she won it.
We’ll start with what truly sets Samantha apart, which is her reflective approach to leadership. Instead of merely reacting to problems, she proactively seeks opportunities for improvement. Whether it’s lending a helping hand during busy shifts, organising team-building activities, or advocating for additional training opportunities for her team, Samantha consistently leads by example and inspires her team.
She’s a pioneer and not afraid of trying something new. With the growing strain on emergency services, Samantha established a partnership with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS), offering her Responder team to support the service, free of charge. The outcome of this was and still is amazing. In 2023, Samantha’s team responded to a staggering 115 falls on behalf of YAS, freeing them up to attend more critical calls. The average response time for Reach & Respond is a speedy 24.36 minutes, so this meant our team was able to prevent customers from waiting too long, as well as preventing them from being admitted to hospital. All in all, this excellent partnership has furthered our commitment to caring for those in our community, whilst also supporting the NHS.
If we cut Samantha in half, she would be blue and green. She absolutely lives Reach & Respond’s values and has always had an unwavering commitment to our mission, to support customers to remain happy, active and independent in their own homes for as long as possible!
Let’s hear what Samantha has to say:
“It was a privilege to attend the Housing with Care Awards in London. To be shortlisted for the national Team Leader Award 2024 was a huge achievement, but to actually win it really was something else! Accepting this award is one of the proudest moments of my career. I feel so grateful to have the support of my fantastic Reach & Respond team. This award truly reflects the teamwork and dedication that is shown day-in day-out by all my colleagues and it’s fantastic recognition for the outstanding commitment our service provides our customers and communities.”