Wales Care Awards   

A nurse who says she has a “dream job” has picked up a national award.
Zilla Shaw, who works for the Pendine Park care organisation in Wrexham, was presented with a bronze award in the annual Wales Care Awards at Cardiff’s City Hall.

The awards, introduced six years ago by Care Forum Wales to promote excellence in the care sector, were presented by the Welsh Assembly’s Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services Gwenda Thomas.

Zilla, a senior nurse at Penybryn, Pendine Park’s new neurological centre of excellence, had been shortlisted in the Nurse of the Year category sponsored by Southern Cross Healthcare.

The Penybryn unit has been designed to look after 38 younger people who have suffered head injuries or have other neurological disorders like acquired brain injury and conditions like Multiple Sclerosis and Stroke. Zilla said: “I started in the NHS and stayed there for a while and then a friend of mine was working in the independent sector in a nursing home. “She said I should try it because it was a different style of nursing. It is more patient-centred if you like.

“This age group aren’t as sedentary as possibly the elderly and they’ve got a lot more social needs while their physical needs tend to be quite complex. The nursing needs are always challenging. “They’re an interesting bunch of people and they’ve all got their own stories like you’d get in any group.”

Care Forum Wales is a not-for-profit organisation representing all independent sector providers of health and social care services for adults and children throughout Wales. Chief Executive Mario Kreft said there was a record number of nominations and the standard was very high. He said: “There are only winners here tonight and in an Olympic year the organisers have decided that the finalists will receive either a gold, silver or bronze Wales Care Award.

“Our aim is to demonstrate that the dedicated and skilled workforce in the care sector are valued and appreciated.
“This awards ceremony is our opportunity to pay tribute to and celebrate the talent and commitment that is improving the quality of life for thousands and thousands of people throughout Wales. “We take our hats off to them all,” he added.