PLANED TAKES TOP REGIONAL AWARD FOR HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE
Lucy Cummings from PLANED has taken the top award in the recent West Wales Health & Social Care Awards, held at Parch yr Scarlets by the Regional Partnership Board.
With many worthy winners from across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, and Pembrokeshire recognised for their work in this key sector, Lucy had to wait for the final award category to be announced, and faced tough competition for the title of Outstanding Contribution.
The PLANED project on Micro Enterprises and Catalysts for Care began in 2020 in Pembrokeshire, and since then, by working in partnership with Hywel Dda University Health Board, the three local authorities, and third sector agencies, PLANED has now expanded this project to both Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.
Lucy herself joined PLANED in 2023, and in the year she has worked with the team, has enabled the project in Carmarthenshire to build, going from strength to strength with over 25 new micro enterprises in health and social care, supported to be set up in the first 12 months alone.
Iwan Thomas, Chief Executive of PLANED notes, “Under the mentorship of Lee James here in Pembrokeshire, and with the amazing support of our local authority partners, the Carmarthenshire Catalyst in supporting the Micro Enterprises has been amazing. Lucy has brought fresh energy, and with the wider support of the PLANED team, drawn upon existing contacts as the organisation continues to build and strengthen its regional support for communities by working in partnership with others.”
With a capacity audience for the Awards ceremony at Parc y Scarlets, Lucy was presented the final award of the day by the current interim Chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board, Judith Hardisty, following her nomination by colleagues in Carmarthenshire County Council.
Lucy in response to getting the award said “Thank you everyone. I am so proud to be part of PLANED, Catalyst for Care project offering people choice and control over the care they have and our fantastic Micro Enterprises. Thank you also to the Commissioning Team at Carmarthenshire County Council for all of your support and everyone involved in our project. I am so blessed and love the work I do, alongside amazing people and services supporting our communities.”
To make such a positive impact on drawing people together across the health and social care within a short space time already, is testament to the ethos of the project that enables people to obtain support to maintain living in their own homes. Lucy, along with her colleagues Lee in Pembrokeshire, and Sue Lewis in Ceredigion, are further enabling the different this PLANED project can genuinely offer for communities across West Wales, and by working with others, deliver a sustainable solution for enabling both social and economic wellbeing.
PLANED TAKES TOP REGIONAL AWARD FOR HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE