A highly respected nurse is in line for a prestigious award just weeks after retiring.

Carol Dight, 61, has been shortlisted for one of this year’s Wales Care Awards, organized by Care Forum Wales to recognize exceptional work in the care sector.

Since 2016 she has worked for HC-One Wales, which owns 14 residential and nursing homes across South Wales. She was the homes’ Responsible Individual and in recent years was the company’s area director, then Regional Director for Wales.

Carol, who lives in Wheddon Cross, Minehead, has been nominated in the category for Leadership and Management in a Small Group or Supported Living, which is sponsored by my Choice Healthcare.

The awards will be presented at a glittering ceremony in Cardiff’s Holland House Hotel on October 17, the evening’s main sponsors are Meddyg Care.

Carol trained at Bristol Royal Infirmary in the 1980s and after working at various hospitals moved up the ladder, ending her NHS career as Executive Director of Nursing and Governance for the Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

Her vast experience and expertise  proved invaluable to HC -One Wales and the impact she made on the company’s operations, along with the benefits for service-users, led to her being nominated by Commissioned Services Manager Emma Baker, who described her as “a dedicated leader and mentor for the HC-One Wales team, overseeing residential, nursing and dementia care across 14 care homes”.

“Since 2016,” said Emma, “she has served as the Responsible Individual, applying her nursing and operational expertise to ensure high-quality care for residents, staff, families and communities.”

Carol, who retained her home in Somerset while staying in South Wales while working, worked with health and social care partners in Wales to promote person-led care practices, led the development of the HC-One Wales team office and training facility ay Quarry Hall, St Mellons.

She was also actively involved in the Wales Responsible Individual Community Forum which shares examples of best practice, as well as collaborating with Welsh councils to update contracts and service agreements, supporting better working conditions and care standards.

“Her compassionate and creative leadership, driven by the ethos ‘The little things matter’, and a commitment to continuous improvement, has enhanced the resident experience, ensuring they ‘live their best lives’,” commented Emma.”

Carol said she found it “very humbling” to have been nominated for the award and, having attended previous presentation ceremonies in support of colleagues, is now looking forward to this year’s event and to meeting up with former colleagues.

“I really enjoyed working in social care, getting to know Residents, their families, and colleagues across South Wales, and improving the quality of care with the HC-One Wales team, where-ever possible”.

Having retired, she is looking forward to spending more time with her two grandchildren and to walking in the countryside near her home with her husband, family and dogs.

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.”