Learning and Development Manager at South East care home championed as one of the leading women in social care

A South East care group is celebrating after one of its staff members was recognised with one of the highest accolades in the profession and championed as one of the social care sector’s most influential individuals.

Marisa Spice, Learning & Development Manager at Nellsar, a family-run group of 13 care homes throughout Kent, Surrey and Essex, was crowned winner of the ‘Talent Development Award’ category in this year’s Women Achieving Greatness in Social Care Awards (WAGS) – an annual showpiece that highlights and celebrates incredible achievements of female leaders in all roles.

Recognised for her unwavering commitment to resident and nursing practice, Marisa received the highly sought-after accolade during an awards ceremony at the Hilton Bankside, London, on Wednesday, 30th November.

The WAGS aim to highlight and celebrate the incredible achievements of female leaders from all corners of the sector, recognising accomplishments at all levels of leadership across the entirety of social care.

As a recipient, Marisa now stands alongside a selection of remarkable individuals, helping to raise the profile of professional women leaders across the sector – and serves as an embodiment of innovation, talent, commitment and excellence throughout the industry and beyond.

Having joined in 2013, Marisa has been an integral asset to the family-run operation at Nellsar, helping the business go from strength to strength while implementing a care ethos built on compassion and empathy. Her ongoing commitment to improving the interface between social care and other external professional bodies has been recognised as an industry example – having introduced new skills for carers and guidance on how to use nurse associate roles within social care.

Speaking about her award, Marisa said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have received such incredible acknowledgement and to stand alongside so many remarkable ladies who I consider to be the benchmark of excellence throughout our sector. Having worked in care for many years, I’m humbled that my efforts have been recognised and this will only motivate me to continue doing a job I love doing each and every day. I consider myself lucky to be surrounded by so many exceptional colleagues, who inspire me to implement a standard of care that improves the quality of life for everyone across the industry, while creating a rich and diverse culture alongside people I consider to be not just friends, but family, too.”

Commenting on her acknowledgement, Glenda Osmotherly, Director of Operations at Nellsar, said: “Marisa is a remarkable individual and we couldn’t be more proud of her. The dedication and commitment she continuously delivers to those around her is not just an example to everyone at Nellsar, but carers up and down the country, and we couldn’t be more delighted to have Marisa representing the care culture we look to implement across the board at Nellsar.”

Having enjoyed a variety of roles with Nellsar over the last ten years, from Registered Nurse to Registered Manager to Operations and Compliance Manager, Marisa now specialises in learning and development of the care group’s staff teams.

Over the past few years, Marisa has been at the forefront of Nellsar’s care development scheme, attending various conferences, meetings and webinars regarding several areas of development. Marisa has worked very closely with external professionals from various areas and has developed many of their attributes to bring knowledge into Nellsar’s workforce. One such event that Marisa has and will continue to attend is the Social Care Nurse Supervision (Kent and Medway Nurse Clinical Supervision) group, which is supported by KCC, Skills for Care and a fellow Queen’s Nurse.

Also representing Nellsar at the WAGS this year was Leni Wood, Nutrition & Wellness Manager, who was shortlisted as a finalist in the Wellbeing at Work Award category, for demonstrating her unwavering professionalism and specialism whilst dedicating a vast array of knowledge to both staff and residents from a nutritional standpoint.

When Leni joined Nellsar five years ago, she cemented the company as one of the first UK providers to recognise the value of having a Nutritional Therapist onboard. She has driven creativity and innovation in the nutrition arena, imparting her wide-ranging knowledge to both staff and residents alike. 

For more information on Nellsar, visit www.nellsar.com.