Home care boss named as 'Most Outstanding Leader in the Care Sector'

Robert Stephenson-Padron, managing director of Penrose Care, has been named as the ‘Most Outstanding Leader in the Care Sector in the UK’ at the 2016 UK Over 50s Housing Awards.

Mr Stephenson-Padron, said: “I am honoured to receive this prestigious award, which I also received in 2014.”

However in his speech, he also expressed pessimism over the state of the health and social care sector in the UK and said: “Although courageous and innovative providers like Penrose Care can provide good jobs to our workforce while providing excellent care day in and day out, this is in the context of a wider sector that is doing neither nor does it appear to have the willpower nor the ability to reform in any material way to manage the daunting challenges associated with an ageing society.

“The dismal health and social care backdrop is further exacerbated by a policy environment which is incoherent. We want to attract locals to work in social care but the public sector does not sufficiently fund the sector to pay even the national minimum wage in my cases.”

Mr Stephenson-Padron criticised the Government for “a care worker training system which is low on usefulness and high on paperwork”.

In addition, he voiced concerns over the impact of Brexit, saying: “We have a sector with a severe staffing shortage, where roughly 80 per cent of new recruits come from the EU, but we have a Government which goes out of its way to make EU nationals feel uncomfortable here in the UK.”

Esmonde Crawley, expert on care for the over 50's and master of ceremonies of the UK Over 50s Housing Awards commended Mr Stephenson-Padrom for speaking out, saying: “There is a dearth of good leaders who can lead the care industry in this country and it’s welcoming to see a rare beast indeed in Penrose Care and it’s wonderful to think that someone has the courage and the gnast to speak up when so many remain silent during these difficult times.”

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