Meet Our Very First NorCA Star

Today we’re launching NorCA Stars with a simple vision: to push back against the ‘doom and gloom’ and shine a bright, overdue light on the incredible heart and innovation within our workforce.

We couldn’t have asked for a better way to start. We are beyond proud to announce that our first-ever NorCA Star is Louise and the Team at Sunrise Healthcare.

In a sector built on passion and dedication, Sunrise Healthcare represents exactly why we decided to start this initiative. Their story reminded us that excellence isn’t just about the big gestures – it’s about the consistent, compassionate, and life-changing work happening every single day. Here is why Sunrise Healthcare are our inaugural Star…

Louise and the entire team at Sunrise Healthcare shared a remarkable achievement: supporting an individual on a journey from isolation and daily anxiety medication to engaging with her community and communicating in her own way.

When Louise took over support for a lady in their supported living setting just over 14 months ago, the situation was challenging. The individual was on a daily dose of lorazepam, a medication often used for anxiety. She was living in a residential setting where she spent much of her time alone, with limited positive engagement and behaviours that could become escalated.

“She was quite isolated, and predominantly she spent a lot of time on her own, not really engaging with anybody. If it was, it was quite a negative interaction.”

But Louise and her team saw the person behind the behaviours. With patience, consistency, and a shared belief in what was possible, they got to work.

A New Way to Connect

The first step was building trust and creating a sense of safety and belonging. The team focused on settling her into her environment and gently introducing new opportunities. The results have been nothing short of transformative.

“She is non-verbal, but she is slowly learning to communicate through picture cards and objects of reference. We’ve just seen that by introducing this, which has been quite a long-term thing, she’s developed a whole new way of communicating. She can now show us things that she wants with an object of reference. We don’t have to do a guessing game anymore.”

The ability to express herself has opened up her world. She is now out in the community every single day. She’s helping with tasks in the home. She is engaging, participating, and enjoying her life in ways that once seemed out of reach.

The Ripple Effect: A Reduction in Medication

This incredible progress has had a profound knock-on effect. By feeling settled, understood, and engaged, her need for anxiety medication has plummeted. Around seven months ago, in close collaboration with her GP, social worker, and occupational therapist, her daily dose of lorazepam was reduced to an “as needed” (PRN) basis.

In their recent January audit, the team had cause for a major celebration. In the entire month, the individual required just four doses of lorazepam. Even more telling, one of those was given prior to a compulsory GP appointment, meaning only three were needed for escalated behaviours in a whole month.

“Me and my staff team are kind of jumping around the room. It was just an absolutely fantastic thing, which the knock-on effect as well is for her health benefits, her enjoyment of her environment, and the family are thrilled as well, as well as obviously the GP.”

A Commitment to Learning

This story also highlights another vital ingredient: the team’s commitment to learning and growth. Louise mentioned how the team recently participated in a “supporting positively” programme, which provided them with fantastic tools and insights.

“I just thought it was an absolutely fantastic tool that was made available to us, and we very much appreciate it. From the back of it, I’m actually now enrolled onto the level 6 PBS (Positive Behaviour Support) qualification because we found it so beneficial.”

This dedication to improving their own skills directly benefits the people they support, creating a virtuous cycle of better care and better outcomes.

Our NorCA Stars

For their unwavering patience, their creative approach to communication, and their incredible teamwork in transforming one person’s quality of life, we are thrilled to name Louise and the team at Sunrise Healthcare as NorCA Stars.

This is what extraordinary care looks like. It’s patient, it’s persistent, and it celebrates every small step that leads to a giant leap in someone’s happiness and wellbeing. Well done to the whole team – you are an inspiration.

Do you have a Star on your team?

We know there are countless stories like this across Norfolk and Waveney. If you have a colleague, a volunteer, or a project you’d like to nominate for a future NorCA Star, we’d love to hear from you. Just send us the highlights and we’ll help you shout about their brilliance.