L-R: Rachel Cackett from CCPS (Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland), Colin Paterson, Alana Scullion and Donna Barr, all from Inverclyde HSCP, and presenter Sean Batty

Bringing together facts and figures to make life easier for social care staff has resulted in a national award for one council employee.

Colin Paterson, a business performance officer for Inverclyde HSCP, won the Bright Spark in the Social Care category at the Scottish Social Services Awards.

Following a redesign of Inverclyde’s social care service earlier this year, Colin brought together the data from all the teams to identify trends and any areas for improvement.

The data Colin put together helped the new staff teams distribute workloads more evenly and make the most of their visit schedules. It also cut approximately 5000 miles a month from their travel time as they were working more efficiently.

Convener of the Social Work and Social Care Scrutiny Panel, Councillor Francesca Brennan, said: “Here in Inverclyde we value our social care staff and appreciate the work they do in looking after more than 1,000 people across the community.

“Through the redesign, staff were able to share their expertise and knowledge with each other.

“Colin did a great job in putting together the data, which has been part of improving the care that people receive in Inverclyde.

“Congratulations must go to Colin for winning this national award and shining a light on the important work done by everyone in the social care team.”

Colin said: “I was honoured to be nominated for this award and delighted to win.

“I am part of a team that works hard to support people across Inverclyde. This award is for all of them and I’m glad the work I’ve done has helped make a difference.”

The Scottish Social Services Awards are held every year to celebrate individuals and organisations who demonstrate best practices in the social services sector.

They are funded by the Scottish Government and hosted by the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (Iriss).

The judges who gave the Bright Spark in Social Care award to Colin said: “The impact and spread of Colin’s work touches so many people and that’s what set it ahead.

“The real time data makes such a difference and is an important piece of information.

“It made judges stop and think – the lack of data holds us back from demonstrating impact – so it is great to see someone developing that in the sector. Well done, Colin!”