A care home manager who still has the enthusiasm of a 21-year-old after 40 years in nursing and social care is in the running for a coveted national award.

Becci Roberts, who lives in Ystradowen, near Cowbridge, says she is humbled after securing a place in the final of the Wales Care Awards 2025 but insists she is just ‘captain of the ship’ and credits the devotion and dedication of her staff for her enduring success.

The 62-year-old, who is registered manager of The Court Care Home in Michaelston Road, Cardiff, owned by Caron Group, is one of three national finalists to be put forward for the Leadership and Management in Residential Care gong, sponsored by Christie and Co.

The Wales Care Awards, sponsored overall by Meddyg Care and organised by care industry champions Care Forum Wales, recognise the outstanding work of those in the care sector, with all finalists guaranteed to come away with either a gold, silver or bronze prize in recognition of their achievements.

She will discover her fate at a glittering awards ceremony to be held at Holland House Hotel in Cardiff on Friday, October 17.

Becci, who qualified as a nurse in 1985 and has gained significant experience in the NHS, private sector nursing and social care throughout her 40-year career, said: “I was touched but very humbled to be put forward. Our senior nurse, Elaine Trott, who works alongside me, is also a finalist in the palliative care category so we’ll both be there together.

“She has similar values and has worked with me closely to embrace all sorts of changes. She only said to me the other day, when we look back to where we are now and how empowered our nursing team is, our care practitioners, nursing assistants, our maintenance staff, housekeeping and kitchen team, we can’t help but feel proud of what has been achieved. They are highly skilled, they feel valued, they feel they have an important part to play, and it’s lovely to see.

“At the end of the day I’m just the captain of the ship, I can’t get that ship working unless the whole team is working together.”

Becci began her career as a nurse in the NHS. Following the birth of her sons, now aged, 28 and 30, she began looking for more flexible hours and turned to social care, finding casual work in care homes around the Cardiff area and a nursing home in Bridgend.

In 2010 while working in another care home in Cardiff, she was able to take on more hours and acquired a keen interest in developing practice and standards to ensure people enjoyed the best quality of life possible.

“I was lucky enough to made deputy manager and then started managing my first home in 2013, so around 12 years ago, with another care home in Cardiff which I absolutely loved,” she said.

“The NHS has huge pressures and sometimes the emphasis on care is not the way we would deliver it but it’s a different type of service. A lot of people coming from hospitals have not had the best experience and their health has declined. It’s our job to rebuild the relationship with the residents and their family members, who have often become carers rather than family members, and re-shift the balance so the relatives can become family members again.”

Becci has been working for Caron since 2017 and has been praised by colleagues for her ‘can-do’ approach and willingness to take on high-dependency residents, including those with quadriplegia and tracheostomies, which she handles with both confidence and ease.

“It’s thinking about why can’t we do it and what do we need to be able to do it? That really sums up my ‘can do’ attitude,” she said.

“It’s trusting in the team around me to take positive risks as well as empowering members of the team to develop new skills and build in different ways of practicing.

“The teams know I’m with them 100 percent. If they’re worried about something, they know I’m always there – that’s the beauty of video calls, so they never feel isolated or on their own.

“That’s a very important part of making sure residents have their best standard of care because the teams are well-supported to deliver it.

“Our communities are mixed within our home as it allows for far more integration. One of our ladies used to be a nurse and she’ll often pop into people who are less mobile than herself and show her own care skills from all these years ago. It means she still has a purpose and place in society, it’s beautiful to see.”

Now into her fourth decade in health and social care, Becci has no plans to slow down just yet.

“I’m 62 going on 21! I literally have the enthusiasm of a 21-year-old!” she said.

“I have a husband and two sons who believe in me and know I’m really passionate about my job. It does impact their lives, they know I will get phone calls in the middle of the night and my weekends will be interrupted but they’ve always accepted it because I’m so passionate about what I do.”

Raam Joshi, managing director of the Caron Group, said: “We are incredibly proud to nominate Becci for this well-deserved recognition. Her commitment to our residents and high-quality care sets a benchmark not just for our home, but for the wider sector.

“Becci leads by example and with purpose, inspiring her team, and always putting the wellbeing of residents first. Under Becci’s leadership, we have seen a remarkable transformation in the home. Her focus on quality, innovation, and team culture has had a lasting and positive impact. Becci doesn’t just manage The Court Care Home, she has created an environment where dignity, compassion, and community are at the heart of everything.”

Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales, said: “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 contribution everybody makes, day in day out.

“The event  underlines the importance of the social care sector. It is the glue that binds our communities together, both 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 recognise 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 the care in society.

“Every single one of our finalists is a winner and will be presented with a gold, silver or bronze award.”