Team Leader of the Year, Adult Services

David’s ability to stay in touch with frontline practice while continuing to effect positive change at a senior level made him a standout winner for this category.

In his role as operations manager of a complex adult social care service in West Northumberland, David has mastered the challenges of integration and ensured that both he and his team are respected and valued by their NHS colleagues. He is committed to service improvement – even finding the time to complete an MSc on the topic alongside the demands of his day-to-day role – and has facilitated a range of opportunities to share best practice.

Another recent achievement has been David’s work to enhance social work support for people at the end of their lives. After recognising the need for improvements in this area, David successfully secured funding from Macmillan Cancer Support to create a specialist palliative care team. His colleagues commented that David’s “excellent social work reasoning” played a key part in this development.

The importance David places on the morale and professional development of his staff also shone through his entry. As one judge put it, David’s contribution to social work “goes way beyond” what you’d expect of a leader.