A care home leader who admits she can ‘talk the socks off anyone’ found she was lost for words when told she is in the running to receive one of her profession’s top accolades.

Julie Inch is deputy manager and clinical lead at Hallmark Tŷ Porth care home in Porth, Rhondda Cynan Taff.

According to Julie, working in the care sector is more than a job but a vocation full of its own unique rewards.

She said: “It could be seeing a patient smile as you bring them a cup of tea, a random thank you from a family member, or the pleasure of celebrating with a resident who has reached a milestone birthday.

“There are ups and downs in care , but we have so many moments of joy at Tŷ Porth that I can never imagine myself doing anything else.”

To her colleagues Julie is a natural carer, a shining example of good practice and a perfect role model for younger generations coming into the profession.

When it came to nominating a team  member for one of this year’s Wales Care Awards, they had no hesitation in putting her name forward.

But when she discovered about the nomination Julie was overwhelmed with emotion.

She said: “I love nursing and working in a care home is the best job in the world for me. So when I was told I had been shortlisted for an award for doing a job that I love, well I was so humbled that for once in my life I was silenced, I genuinely could not find the words to express how honoured I felt.”

Julie was among hundreds of care workers across Wales nominated by their colleagues and employers to receive recognition at the Wales Care Awards 2025.

Following a raft of interviews before a judging panel the original entries have now been whittled down to a shortlist of finalists, in 20 categories, who will all be presented with a gold, silver or bronze award at a glittering ceremony in Cardiff.

Julie, 59, of Aberdare, said she is flabbergasted to have made it to the final shortlist in the category for Excellence in Palliative and End of Life Care, sponsored by Silvercrest Care.

She has worked in the sector throughout her career, rising through the ranks from junior care assistant in her teens, to obtain her nursing qualifications, and move up the ladder into a management role.

Inbetween it all she has raised a family of three grown up boys, Alfie, Daniel and Jaden, and is now a grandmother of four.

Julie leads by example, taking a personal approach to care, listening first hand to the needs of each individual and their family’s concerns.

She said: “Nursing is in my blood, my mother was a nurse, as was her sister, so many of my aunts and lots of my cousins. It’s what we’ve always done in our family. It’s just instinctive and I knew from an early age that it was what I was destined to do too. Even when I started as a care assistant, I knew I would not rest until I had gone further and gained my nursing qualifications. That was always my dream and I’m so grateful I was able to achieve it.”

Leah Howells, who officially nominated Julie, is Business Support Manager with Hallmark Luxury Care Homes which owns Ty Porth.

She said Julie is a nurse who sets the bar high: “Many residents under her care have a high level of dependency and they rely on her team to help them live  a fulfilled life. Julie pays attention to the finest details and has worked hard to train her team to meet a standard of care which she would want a member of her own family to receive.

“Her ethos is ‘if it’s not good enough for my dad, then it’s not good enough here’. She ensures all our residents are treated as individuals with quality care, dignity and the respect that they deserve.”

She said as a resident nears the end of their life Julie will always approach the situation ensuring the utmost dignity for them and their loved ones, discreetly seeking as much information as possible to ensure all their wishes are adhered to.

Julie’s compassion has been enhanced by the recent loss of her own father, Jack Inch.

She said: “It made me appreciate even more the complexities of loss and how everyone’s circumstance and experience of grief is always different to another’s. I make an effort to respect that. I’ll give them space to reflect while also doing everything I can practically and emotionally to help them through that difficult time.”

Despite her surprise at having been shortlisted, Julie is immensely looking forward to attending the red-carpet awards ceremony at Holland House Hotel, Cardiff on October 17.

She said: “It will be a great chance to meet my peers and celebrate the hard work they all do in their communities.”

The Wales Care Awards are organised by Care Forum Wales, which represents more than 400 independent health and social care providers across the nation.

They pay tribute to the front-line heroes and heroines of the care sector. This year the headline sponsor for the evening is Meddyg Care.

Chair of Care Forum Wales, Mario Kreft MBE, said of the awards: “Care Forum Wales has been working tirelessly for more than 30 years to promote the social care sector.

“We established the Wales Care Awards to show our appreciation to the workforce and the wider sector for the remarkable and vitally important contribution everybody makes, day in, day out.

“The event  underlines the importance of the social care sector. It’s the glue that binds our communities together, socially and economically.

“Our mission is to be the voice of social care in Wales to advocate on the sector’s behalf, holding truth to power in order to secure a fair deal to recognise the dedication of our front line heroes and heroines across our nation.

“If you don’t value the people who do the caring you will never provide the standards that people need and never recognise the value of the people who need care in society.

“Every single one of our finalists is a winner.”