Celebrating six finalists at The National LD Awards!

Community Integrated Care is proud to have been shortlisted for six prestigious accolades at the National Learning Disabilities & Autism Awards 2022.

Hosted by leading social care publication, Care Talk, the awards celebrate individuals, teams and organisations who have gone above and beyond over the past 12 months, providing outstanding care and support to people with learning disabilities and autism.

This year, Community Integrated Care is delighted to celebrate a host of colleagues, teams and partnerships that have been shortlisted for their phenomenal impact.

Our finalists are:

• The Employer Award – Community Integrated Care: Our charity’s wellbeing initiatives for colleagues, innovations in our services and collaborations with our communities have been recognised, with this accolade celebrating ‘an exceptional employer’ in the care sector.
• Breaking Down Barriers Award – Quality Advisors: This special team are a group of people we support, who are trained and employed by our charity as ‘experts by experience’. Since 2015, our Quality Advisors have provided invaluable insights into our services, delivered training on accessibility and empowered the voices of others. You can find out more about this remarkable team and the crucial role they play in our Annual Review.
• The People’s Award – Oliver Thomason: Our charity’s Sports Inclusion Coordinator, Oliver, returns as a finalist at the Learning Disabilities & Autism Awards this year, after scooping the Care Newcomer Award in 2021. The nomination recognises his encouragement of others to take part in our charity’s special sporting projects.
• The Supporting People with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities Award – Priory Close: This dedicated team of Support Workers in Liverpool have been shortlisted for working tirelessly to transform the life of a person we support with complex care needs, through innovative recruitment practices and person-centred support.
• The Making a Difference Award – Community Integrated Care and the Rugby League World Cup 2021: Community Integrated Care’s ground-breaking partnership with the Rugby League World Cup 2021, and our team of Inclusive Volunteers, has been shortlisted for promoting inclusion and community cohesion to make positive changes to people’s lives.
• The Sporting Chance Award – Care To Play, Community Integrated Care and Table Tennis England: In 2020, Community Integrated Care partnered with Table Tennis England to create a life-changing accessible table tennis programme for people who access care and support. The project has been recognised for working creatively to develop sporting activities which people with learning disabilities and autism can enjoy.

Carolyn McConnell, Chief Quality and Risk Officer at Community Integrated Care, said, “It’s an incredible accomplishment to be shortlisted for six prestigious accolades at this year’s National Learning Disability & Autism Awards. We are so proud of each colleague, team and partnership that has been shortlisted, and are delighted to have achieved a place amongst the finalists for the Care Employer accolade. These nominations highlight the outstanding work that our brilliant colleagues do every day.”

She continued, “I’m particularly proud to see our Quality Advisors shortlisted for the Breaking Down Barriers Award. The work that this team have carried out over the past 12 months, to ensure that the voices of the people we support are heard at every level of our charity has transformed the way we deliver support, and has further enabled us to provide the best care possible.”

Oliver Thomason said, “I am so proud to have been chosen as a finalist for the People’s Award. I love my job as Sports Inclusion Coordinator at Community Integrated Care and am passionate about helping other people find new hobbies and passions too. It means so much for my hard work to be recognised and I can’t wait for the awards evening. Good luck to all of the finalists – fingers crossed!”

John Hughes, Director of Partnerships and Communities at Community Integrated Care, said, “It is fantastic to see our partnerships with Rugby League and Table Tennis England recognised at this year’s Learning Disabilities & Autism Awards, alongside our team of hard-working Rugby League World Cup 2021 volunteers. The impact that these partnerships have had on our communities is unprecedented – with thousands of people with learning disabilities and autism accessing unparalleled experiences; engaging with a variety of sports and activities that they may have never even considered before; and finding new skills and passions.”

“We’re also incredibly proud to see Oliver shortlisted once again. Oliver’s work as Sports Inclusion Coordinator and Official Inclusion Ambassador for the Rugby League World Cup has changed lives. He has inspired hundreds of people with learning disabilities and autism to get involved with life-changing opportunities, making him truly deserving of this recognition.”

Winners will be announced on Friday 8th July 2022 in a special awards evening at The International Convention Centre in Birmingham.

Find out more about our previous awards successes here or read about our charity’s 2021 awards finalists in our Annual Review.