Congratulations to Julie Whitaker, our Head Housekeeper at Ponsandane Care Home in Penzance who has been nominated in the prestigious Great British Care Awards.

Julie is celebrating after being selected as a finalist in the Ancillary Worker category, South West Region, for the Great British Care Awards 2025. She has been in position as Head Housekeeper at Ponsandane since 2009 in which time she has been both an inspirational leader and an advocate for change.

The Great British Care Awards are a series of regional events throughout the UK and are a celebration of excellence across the care sector. The purpose of the awards is to pay tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work. The awards, initially set up in 2009, represent all areas of social care, whether it be older people or specialist services, residential or home care.

The Ancillary Worker Award recognises excellence in person-centred ancillary services, focusing on those who deliver exceptional support with dignity and respect.

Leading a team of nine, Julie has repeatedly demonstrated her willingness to exceed expectations which has led to the highest standards of cleanliness at the home.  Julie is also infection control lead.

“I am absolutely delighted to be nominated for this award,” commented Julie. “Ensuring our residents have a home that is welcoming, clean and homely gives me great satisfaction.  Upholding the values and standards of Swallowcourt and Ponsandane are part of everything I try to do, providing our residents with a better standard of living.”

Julie champions sustainability and the use of environmentally friendly products, this had led to recent changes in chemical usage and in the implementation of new systems to reduce the use of disposables wherever possible in the home.

The Great British Care Regional Awards take place throughout Autumn each year, followed by a National Final at the ICC, Birmingham, in Spring.