Local Lincs man, John Goree, celebrated his incredible 39-year career in social care at a retirement event where he was presented with special gifts, vouchers and a memory book. Work colleagues at UK charity care provider, Ambient Support, were delighted to honour John and recognise his dedication and outstanding achievements.
John Goree’s career in social care began in 1982 and from the very beginning he has been a trail blazer for change, introducing new ways of thinking and devising schemes and projects that deliver ‘person-centered’ care.
Resolute that service users should always be heard and at the very heart of decisions, John introduced and ran ‘Get Connected’ meetings giving people using services the chance to be involved and directly influence the care and support being provided. He also developed a team of ‘Quality Checkers’ who are experts by experience, that visit Ambient services to assess quality of care and give feedback from their perspective.
John has also been at the centre of pioneering the ‘Positive Behaviour Support’ (PBS) approach to care and support at Ambient where there are now more than 30 PBS trained coaches across the charity and training available for all staff to incorporate this approach into working practices.
In 2018 John took on the Regional Management of Lincolnshire to add to his existing portfolio of services across The Midlands.
His innovations have seen him modernise the management structure improving efficiency and quality of support given to service users. John’s team now look after over 269 service users in the region, with every registered service in his area rated by CQC as GOOD. It is no surprise that staff satisfaction in his localities rose from 82% to 94% in the most recent staff survey and his team have become some of the most sought-after care teams in the region.
When asked what makes someone right for a role on his team, he answered:
“Courage- morals that revolve around the people we support and conviction in those morals”.
And on his lifetime career in social care, John says:
“The reason I come to work every day with a smile, even when it’s difficult, is knowing that we can make a positive impact to individual lives.”
Mark Milton, CEO, commended John for his dedication. He says:
“John has continued to be a true pioneer for positive change throughout his career at Ambient and for that, we will always be grateful. Transforming the lives of service users with his person-centred approach by giving them opportunity and a platform to be heard. John has made an exceptional contribution to our national charity and the people within it, his work and tireless dedication is truly commendable.”
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