Hywel Dda Awarded Silver for Going Green

Hywel Dda Health Board’s commitment to sustainable travel planning has been recognised with a Silver Award at the South West Wales Intergrated Transport Consortium (SWWITCH) Welsh Travel Plan Awards 2012.

The SWWITCH Welsh Travel Plan Awards recognise excellence in Travel Planning across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. Awards are given to individual or groups of businesses, organisations, schools or community groups.

The Hywel Dda Travel Plan is a means through which the Health Board seeks to improve travel options for employees, patients and visitors. The main aim is to ‘increase healthy and sustainable travel choices for staff, patients and visitors with an emphasis on reducing reliance on single occupancy car travel.

The Plan has been developed by the Sustainable Travel Steering Group following the results of audits and surveys which have been undertaken at the four main hospitals within Hywel Dda – Prince Philip Hospital, Glangwili General Hospital, Bronglais General Hospital and Withybush General Hospital.

The Silver award marks the organisation’s ongoing commitment to travel planning, achievements since initial travel plan production and demonstration of future commitment to improving travel and transport options.

Phil Jones, Travel Coordination Officer for Hywel Dda Health Board said: “Having attained the Bronze award in 2010 the Health Board is delighted to have now achieved the Silver award from SWWITCH.

“The Health Board’s Sustainable Travel Steering Group has continued to work closely with external agencies, demonstrating the Health Board’s on-going commitment to promote sustainable travel by reducing car journeys and promoting cycling and walking which enables us to reduce our carbon footprint and release financial savings.”

Jayne Cornelius, SWWITCH Travel Plan Coordinator, said: “We were delighted to award Hywel Dda with their Silver level Welsh Travel Plan Award, one of ten successful organisations to receive their award at the ceremony held at Dyfed Powys Police HQ.

“Hywel Dda are commended for their hard work in making their travel plan an on-going success in encouraging sustainable modes of transport. They have put in place support of the travel plan in the form of travel champions, who received Smart Travel Training, delivered by SWWITCH, to up-skill cross departmental staff, and meters and greeters. “These champions are now able to inform colleagues, patients and visitors of sustainable travel choices available to them at various hospital sites. We look forward to working with Hywel Dda to attain their Gold level award.”

Within the Hywel Dda Travel Plan is a set of measures which improves travel choices and contains a mixture of initiatives for success including car sharing, promotion of public transport, cycling, walking and alternative work practices. This is shared with all Health Board staff on a dedicated internal Intranet page and to the public via trained travel champions.