CareDocs (Care Management Systems Ltd), one of the UK’s leading person centred software providers for care and nursing homes, welcomes Andrew Samuel as its new IT Manager.
Mr Samuel brings extensive experience within IT, having previously worked for Nexus Open Systems, techrelate and many others. Most notably, Andrew was listed in the New Years Honours 2023 and received the British Empire Medal for his work in supporting his local community throughout the pandemic.
Having spent many years volunteering for charities, namely being part of the team that reopened a local theatre in Taunton, known as The Brewhouse, after it fell into administration, Andrew was nominated for this prestigious award after creating a support group of volunteers to support vulnerable people in his community during the pandemic.
“I created a support group of volunteers to offer any assistance that people may need. I set up a central telephone number and built a small army of volunteers to answer phones, collect prescriptions, shop, dog walk, mow grass… you name it!
“We hand delivered thousands of leaflets with our telephone number so people know how to get in touch. I also decided to write an online software application to log calls and track each request through to fruition.”
All of which took place within the first two weeks of the first lockdown. Mr Samuel also decided to open a shop, the Wilton & Sherford Community Shop in his local area to support a number of elderly and vulnerable people. Locating a venue, registering a community interest company, raising grants, hiring staff and created a robust operating procedure that aligned with covid restrictions amongst other things. He opened the shop to the public only two weeks after he had the initial idea. The support group set up by Andrew took nearly 2,000 calls and the shop generated around £12,500 over the course of 40 days.
Andrew Pulsford, who nominated Andrew Samuels also commented, “Andrew was an enormous asset to our support group during covid. He brought enthusiasm, ideas and solutions and proved he would go the extra mile to help people. It’s been a privilege to volunteer with him and to see how much he cares and the lengths he’ll go, to help people and to see how modest he is. He just always wants to help where he can, and he’s always looking for opportunities where he can make a difference.”
Mr Samuel was informed by the Cabinet Office that he would be recommended to His Majesty the King for the honour of Medal of the Order of the British Empire in the 2023 New Year Honours List. The ceremony was held at Castle House in Taunton and presented to Mr Samuel by the Lord Lieutenant of Somerset. Mr Samuel and his wife were also invited to attend the Coronation Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
General Manager at CareDocs, Alan Pocock, also commented, “We’re so pleased to have Andrew join the team. He will be an integral part of propelling CareDocs into the future of digital healthcare. We’re very lucky to have someone join us who is so caring and passionate, and will add to the passion CareDocs has for supporting UK care homes into the work we do.”
