A SERENADING care assistant in Cowdenbeath has been named Scotland's Care Worker of the Year.

Danielle Fairley is known for constant positivity and her 'slightly pitchy' singing at Roselea House.

She has been described as someone who "goes above and beyond" for residents and it has been reflected with her success at Scottish Care's National Care Home Awards.

The prestigious award recognises the significant role that carers like Danielle have in providing a consistently high-quality standard for people living in care homes and was awarded to the Fife songbird for her tremendous work at Roselea House, which is part of the Holmes Care Group.

At the esteemed ceremony, hosted in Glasgow, Danielle triumphed in an extremely strong group shortlisted in the Carer of the Year category.

Danielle was praised for can-do attitude and for her reassuring and flexible approach when assessing the needs of residents and developing care plans.

She was also commended for her sensitivity and resilience, even when faced with challenging situations and her willingness to take on additional responsibilities, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Colleagues also applauded Danielle’s commitment to go the extra mile for Roselea residents to ensure their wishes are met, observing how best to support them, and taking a genuine interest, whether that be making sure they have their favourite lipstick, or their hair is styled in a certain way.

In addition, she can be relied upon to provide a "heartfelt rendition" of a resident's favourite song to make them smile - even if her colleagues do joke that her singing ability leaves a lot to be desired.

A delighted Danielle said: "I am absolutely thrilled to have been named as Scotland’s Care Worker of the Year.

"The awards ceremony was a fantastic chance to celebrate, and I can’t wait to share the news with the Roselea residents and my team who inspire me to work hard and deliver my best every day!”

Ruth Goodman, manager at Roselea House care home, who nominated Danielle for the award said: "We are all so proud of Danielle for being awarded Care Work of the Year – it’s a wonderful achievement and she is completely deserving of the accolade.

"I nominated Danielle because she completely embodies our organisational values, she comes to work each day with a smile on her face, ready to deliver the best possible care for our residents.”