A nurse dubbed “outstanding” for making a difference to the lives of residents in her care is delighted to have been shortlisted for a top award.

Rachel Whittaker, a registered nurse at Hallmark Greenhill Manor Luxury Care Home in Merthyr Tydfil, prides herself on caring for not only residents in the care home community, but also their whole family.

And now her hard work and devotion to those in her care has led her being lined up for a top award at this year’s Wales Care Awards, which are held every year to pay tribute to the frontline heroes of social care.

The presentation ceremony, sponsored by Meddyg Care, is being held at Cardiff’s Holland House Hotel on Friday, October 17.

Rachel, from Bedlinog, has been shortlisted in the category for Independent Sector Nurse of the Year, which is sponsored by Ontex Healthcare.

A mother to six-year-old twins, Rachel has worked at Greenhill Manor since 2017 and is said to have made a positive difference to everyone around her.

Praised by her bosses for being instrumental in embedding the Senses Framework at Greenhill Manor, a strategy that improves care for residents through a relationship-centred approach, Rachel has also worked alongside staff at The Hospice of the Valleys to enable Greenhill Manor to work towards becoming a centre of excellence for end-of-life care.

Rachel said: “I am so lucky to work at Greenhill. I get to work across all the communities within the home but I mainly work in end-of-life care.

“This is something I am very passionate about. You only get one chance to get this right, the very last thing you can do for someone.

“I get to fulfil someone’s wishes and make sure a resident’s final journey is just how they want it to be. Every situation is unique and I am very privileged to be able to make everything perfect for those final moments.”

Rachel prides herself on providing care not just for residents but also support for their families.

She added: You build up good relationships with family members. Residents can live here for a very long time and you build a good rapport and become a support to family members.

“Families praise us for that level of care and we get lots of positive feedback from relatives and they always say they can never thank the team enough.

“With dementia a family has already experienced a sense of loss and they are already grieving. When residents come to us their family members are struggling but find comfort within our community and make friends. That is always lovely to see.”

Speaking about her award nomination Rachel said: “When I heard I was so chuffed, I felt very proud. But you can only do your job to a good standard when you have the support of fantastic colleagues, which I am very fortunate to have.”

Karen Beech, General Manager at Greenhill Manor, nominated Rachel for the award after being impressed by the difference she has made.

Karen said: “Rachel is well respected by all the team and supports them in their growth and development. Her enthusiasm has had a positive impact on the whole team.”

Rachel’s colleague Claire Jehu added: “Rachel is an outstanding nurse. She is always helpful, kind, supportive and educational. Rachel has a way about her that always brings her peace and calmness to even the most traumatic experiences. Rachel is a pleasure to work alongside.”

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 and vitally important 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 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 the care in society.

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