On Monday 1 March, the winners of the Home Improvement Agency Awards 2009 gathered at the House of Commons for a prestigious awards ceremony sponsored by Tom Levitt MP for High Peak and Stannah Stairlifts.  The ceremony took place in the Members' Dining Room in the House of Commons. 

The event was attended by several senior Members of Parliament and government ministers, including Sir George Young Bt MP, long-time friend of the sector Baroness Kay Andrews OBE, Phil Hope MP (Minister of State, Department of Health, Care Services), Gillian Merron MP (Minister of State for Public Health) and Shehla Husain (Deputy Director, Housing, Care and Support at Communities and Local Government).

Shehla Husain gave the opening address, congratulating the winners:

"This year's winners have been chosen because they have gone that extra mile to ensure that home improvement agency services are delivered to an excellent standard. The winning services are examples of the best practice in the sector and have shown that they deliver high-quality outcomes for their clients and commissioners."

The winning agencies were presented with their awards by local MPs, Foundations Co-Director Andy Chaplin and Patrick Stannah of Stannah Stairlifts. Baroness Andrews attended the ceremony again this year to present the Special Recognition Award to the Right Honorable Sir George Young Bt MP.

Baroness Andrews said:

"Home improvement agencies remain a lifeline to thousands of older and vulnerable people, giving them the practical help they need to stay in their homes. At a time when we face considerable challenges in responding to an ageing population home improvement agencies can help to achieve creative and innovative solutions driven by the needs of their clients."

After the formal presentations, the winners had group photos taken and networked with the ministers and MPs over canapés and a glass of wine.

Phil Hope, Minisiter of State, Department of Health, Care Services said:

"People tell us that they want to remain living independently for longer - adapting homes and using innovations can help achieve this.

"They can help prevent people from entering residential care unnecessarily and offer significant savings for taxpayers too. That is why it is important to recognise the real innovators in the field and share good practice across the sector through these awards.

"We will soon set out a blueprint for a new National Care Service that is fairer, simpler and more affordable for all. Innovative, personalised services will be a central pillar of the new system."

Joint winners of the agency of the year award Care and Repair Leeds and Lincolnshire HIA pose for group photos with Phil Hope, Care Services Minister.

Foundations has sent press releases, photographs and a copy of the communications toolkit to all the winning and commended agencies to assist them in generating local publicity about their success and services.

For a photos of the winners receiving their awards, visit the HIA Awards page of the website.

Summaries of the best practice from the winning awards entries are now available on the Foundations website.