Gold for Glenowen Court - Care Home of the Year

Glenowen Court has been named as the Care Home of the Year at the Health & Social Care Awards. The Radius Housing with care scheme,  which won the prize at a recent awards ceremony in the Crowne Plaza, faced off competition from more than 120 care homes across Northern Ireland to take the top award.

Glenowen Court, which is located off the Andersonstown Road in west Belfast, is a residential home for older people and those with dementia. It has 44 residents, who each have their own self-contained apartments, and are supported by Care and Support staff, who are on duty 24 hours daily to help with personal care and general daily activities.

The Health & Social Care Awards recognise exceptional work undertake by individuals, organisations and teams who provide support to older people and those with health and wellbeing needs. The Best Care Home Award is one of the most competitive, given the high quality of care and number of residential facilities available right across Northern Ireland. Also among the finalists was another Radius Care Home, Loughview in Holywood.

Speaking after the awards, Fiona McAnespie, Director of Care & Support at Radius Housing, said “The support we provide in all of our care homes is extremely important to so many people and their families, and we want to ensure that it is always provided to the highest standards. The last few years have been particularly difficult for our residents and staff, with the restrictions, additional precautions and new procedures to keep everyone safe.

“We are delighted that the work all the staff in Glenowen Court have put in has been recognised in the Care Home of the Year Award. It is their dedication to the residents that really stands out, and we see the reward of that in how happy residents are at Glenowen. It is also particularly pleasing that Loughview has also been recognised as a finalist in this award.”

Emma Hewitt is the new manager, taking over from Siobhan Savage who has managed Glenowen Court for the last seven years, and said  “Every day we aim to bring a bit of joy and happiness to the residents here. We want them to be as happy and content as possible, and that is difficult when you have to face things such as Covid. But we have a team here who go above and beyond every day, and it is great to see that work recognised by the whole health and care sector.”