As February came to an end, Westward Care staff members cast their votes to name four colleagues the latest employees of the month for Southlands, The Cedars, Hunslet Moor House and Headingley Hall.

At Southlands, Michelle Wood was voted February’s employee of the month, having previously been given the title in November 2024. Colleagues had nothing but praise for Michelle, who was described as “reliable, calm under pressure and always willing to help both colleagues and service users”, as well as someone who “consistently shows kindness, patience and professionalism in her work”. One voter noted Michelle’s popularity with residents, who “absolutely love it when Michelle is in, as they know they can talk to her in confidence about anything”.

Kate Ofozie was named employee of the month for The Cedars in February, with colleagues calling her “dedicated and caring towards residents” and “kind to everyone”. Singled out as someone who “follows the company’s values diligently”, Kate was said by all who voted for her to represent all four of the core Westward Care values: trust, kindness, respect and teamwork.

Charlene Mann was voted February’s employee of the month for Hunslet Moor House, with one colleague giving a recent episode at the Beeston location as their reason for nominating Charlene: “Charlene went above and beyond to help a resident prepare for her 80th birthday. Dyed her hair, got her nail polish to do her nails and liaised with the resident’s family, loaning them a speaker for the party her family was organising…Showed great teamwork by [making sure] everything was in place and ready for the party.”

Finally, Kirsty Ballard was Headingley Hall’s February employee of the month, with one colleague calling Kirsty “a superhero with powers of common sense, kindness and the ability to maintain composure no matter what the day might throw at her”. Kirsty was described as someone who “always has a positive attitude” and who “makes everyone around her feel reassured and supported”, while one colleague who voted for Kirsty wrote: “It's a privilege to work alongside Kirsty every day”.

Congratulations to Michelle, Kate, Charlene and Kirsty on being such exceptional staff members in February, and as always, thank you to all who cast a vote for their employees of the month. A thank you, too, to all in the Westward Care team for their continuing hard work.