Taking service standards to the next level!

*Pictured Deb and Alison with their awards

Inspired by the findings of our Customer Experience (CX) Project in 2021, IDS launched the inaugural ‘Chair’s Service Excellence Awards’ in February this year.

The awards will be held annually, recognising our Head Office team, and Disability Support Worker (DSW) team.

This is an exciting opportunity for the Chair, Geoff Schomburgk and the IDS Board to recognise and reward outstanding service from team members who have gone “above and beyond”.

Criteria for the awards includes:

Excellence in Client Service
Living the IDS Values
Innovation or Process Improvement

The award recipients for this year were announced in April.

***

For our remote workforce on the frontline, the Disability Support Workers, commonly known as DSW’s, the award went to Alison Kent.

Alison has worked with IDS for many years and lives the IDS values. She is caring, concerned, and dedicated to her profession. Alison encourages clients to make their own decisions, to support their decisions, and to help implement their decisions, allowing for participant ‘choice & control’.

Alison has made a huge difference to the lives of those she supports. Thanks to Alison and her dedication and hard work, her clients are well supported, healthy, happy, and connected to their community.

Alison fosters a trusting relationship with her clients who often then seek her advice. This has made it so much easier for other health professionals to work with clients to improve overall health and wellbeing.

Alison is genuine, patient, kind, respectful and a great communicator who thinks ‘client first’ and makes sure they are always at the centre of the decision making.

***

Turning to our Head Office employees, acknowledgment was awarded to Deb Williams in the Client Services Team.

Deb is 100% dedicated to the interest of IDS’s clients and ensuring they receive the best level of service possible. Deb goes out of her way to ensure that the services are delivered as requested by the client and will work after hours if that’s what it takes.

Deb will research clients & support workers needs and attributes, to assign the most suitable support worker for clients. She is the definition of a hard worker and an asset to IDS.

Deb is extremely client centred and will also suggest opportunities to clients recognising their choices, and she is extremely respectful towards them. She values everyone and shows respect and understanding.

Deb has an uncanny ability in making people feel comfortable, and she tries her best to ensure you understand a situation or issue if you’re confused. She also extends these attributes to her colleagues and assists wherever possible, particularly in the use of IDS’s newly implemented Client Management System, Visual Care.

Nominations for the 2023 Awards will open in January next year.