After 30 years as a nurse, Saintfield's Kate comes out of retirement to give 10,000 hours of 'wonderful' care and is honoured by Lorraine Kelly in London

A Northern Ireland healthcare professional has been recognised for her hard work and dedication for delivering exceptional care in the community.

Kate Herron, who lives in Saintfield, was one of only three finalists, selected from 12,000 caregivers nationally, who were in the running for home care company Home Instead’s national ‘Care Professional of the Year’ award.

Kate joined the Down & Lisburn office of Home Instead when the business opened seven years ago.

A nurse for over 30 years, Kate came to work in care having decided to reduce her working hours as her retirement approached. But she loves the work so much that she as now exceeded a total 10,000 hours of care.

Kate was nominated for the award by the owner of Home Instead Down & Lisburn, Lynn Elliott who has a very personal reason for making the nomination.

Lynn explained: “Two years ago, at the start of the first lockdown, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and scheduled for surgery and chemotherapy.

“In the circumstances, my family could not travel to support me. Work had to take a background role for a while with only a few days a month worked. I was thankful for a strong team supporting me.

“I reached out the Kate to ask if she would be my Care Pro for a few months. She willingly agreed.

“I didn’t need personal care, but I did need another adult to lean on and help me run my life. Kate came three times a week for six months. She cooked and cleaned. She sent me for a rest when she thought I needed it. She ran errands when I couldn’t go out.

“My children became her biggest fans. Her support was wonderful. I learned a lesson about being an independent-minded adult who must rely on others for a time – a lesson our clients also learn. I couldn’t have had a more gracious companion through all of this than Kate. Our hugs when we meet these days are extra-warm. That’s a lifetime client-Care Pro bond, right there.”

Kate’s currently provides live-in care for a lady with advanced dementia. The lady’s family are full of praise for the care provided. The client’s daughter explained: “It’s testament to the highest standards of care that Mum is still with us. I feel sure that Mum would no longer be alive if she had had to move into residential care. The attention to detail provided by Kate is superb.

“Mum has always been difficult with food, with a small appetite. The full time and personalised care and creative solutions provided by Kate have been wonderful. She has developed ways to get calories into Mum. She will say “We’ll have a warm drink now” and manage to have Mum drink a mug of homemade soup fortified with extra cream.

“Kate is also very mindful of the sort of stimulation Mum likes and needs. Whether she’s in bed, or able to be up sitting in the living room, Kate has Andre Rieu, the Edinburgh Tattoo and various others on repeat, and Mum sits happily with the music, humming along. Nowadays Mum is increasingly non-responsive, or sometimes will speak incoherently. Kate chats to her with humour and can match her mood.”

Whilst not the overall winner, Kate and Lynn attended a day to celebrate the awards at the Four Seasons Hotel in central London in the company of TV star, Lorraine Kelly.

Lynn concluded: “It was wonderful to attend the celebration event for Home Instead’s Care Professional of the Year.

“The three finalists all had amazing stories and it was lovely to spend time with them and meet Lorraine Kelly.

“Kate should be really proud of what she has achieved and we look forward to working with her for many years to come.”

Home Instead employs over 12,000 Care Professionals across its 250 UK offices. Each office was invited to nominate one outstanding Care Professional.