Care England’s Richard Ayres presented with Chief Nurse Adult Social Care Award

We are delighted to share that Richard Ayres, social care advisor at Care England was honoured with the Chief Nurse Adult Social Care Award at last week’s Parliamentary Reception, presented by Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care. The award recognises individuals who have made an outstanding and lasting contribution to adult social care. We couldn’t be prouder.

Reflecting on the award, Richard said:

“I am privileged to have been awarded the Gold Award for Nursing and Adult Social Care Excellence by Deborah Sturdy, the Chief Nursing Officer for Adult Social Care, someone I hold in the highest regard and wholeheartedly respect for her work.

 

I work as part of an amazing team at Care England, having worked for them for five years and alongside them since 2014, when I left Procurement to move into adult social care for homecare and care homes. I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible individuals at Care England, along with colleagues across social care. I’ve been inspired by them and by key leaders, care workers, my Registered Manager sister who got me into Adult Social Care in the first place (thanks Emma!), and those who have had such influence across the sector, like Ruth French and Nuno Lopes, who have both inspired and motivated me to do all I can to support our sector and enhance care provision, and who kindly nominated and supported my nomination for this award.

 

Our work at Care England is very much a team effort. The Policy and Membership team are phenomenal at what they do, both past and present, the talent we see daily is what inspires us to keep going. I riff off their energy, enthusiasm, and courage to tackle uncharted waters and elevate unheard voices. To work with our CEO, Professor Martin Green OBE, is nothing short of a privilege; our work is carried out in his name, and he inspires us daily. He, along with peers and colleagues across social care in local and national associations, teaches me something new every day and inspires me to do as much as I can to support the teams I work with, to better support care providers, and, most importantly, above everything else, to support those we provide care to. Almost all of us will come into contact with social care at some point in our lives, and it is beyond a privilege to work with our members to help people live the way they want to live, whether in the community or in residential care.”

Professor Martin Green OBE added:

“I am genuinely delighted that Richard has been honoured in this way, it is richly deserved. I am proud to lead an organisation that fights every day for a sector that too often goes unrecognised, and I am grateful beyond words to the colleagues, care workers, and providers who inspire everything we do. We still have much to accomplish, but moments like this remind us that our work matters. What makes this recognition especially meaningful is that Richard was nominated by our own members and key stakeholders, and that speaks volumes. It tells us that the wider sector sees him exactly as we do: a powerful and trusted colleague, and a compelling voice for social care across our membership and far beyond.”

The award was presented to them both at our annual Parliamentary Reception, where we launched our new report ‘The Power of Care: The System Behind the Society’. To read a wrap up of the day, please click here. To access the report, please click here.