A CARER from the Borders has been named as the best in the country - as well as the north east of England.

Catherine Khan from Jedburgh scooped the Care Worker of the Year title at the Great North East and Scotland Care Awards last week.

And she will now progress to the UK finals next year.

The support worker at Priors Court in her hometown was honoured in recognition 'for her going the extra mile for the people she supports'.

Catherine is part of the Community Integrated Care team that provides outreach support to 10 people with learning disabilities in Jedburgh and the surrounding area.

The awards, which took place at the Grand Hotel in Gosforth Park in Newcastle, are part of the Great British Care Awards which celebrate excellence in the social care sector.

Allison Cochrane, managing director of Community Integrated Care in Scotland passed on her congratulations to Catherine and the other nominees from their organisation.

She told us: "It’s fantastic to see the exceptional work of our colleagues being recognised at this year’s Great British Care Awards.

"All our nominees show every day their commitment and passion for delivering world-class support, and they deserve every accolade awarded to them.

"I’m so proud of all our colleagues and teams who have been recognised at tonight’s ceremony for making such a difference to the lives of the people they support.”

Community Integrated Care is one of Britain’s biggest and most successful health and social care charities.

It supports over 3500 people across England and Scotland who have learning disabilities, mental health concerns, autism and dementia, employing 6500 staff nationally.

Community Integrated Care’s regional winners will now go forward to the national finals of the Great British Care Awards, taking place in London in March.