A social care pioneer from North Wales has won a major UK award in a remarkable hat-trick of honours.
Mario Kreft MBE, the proprietor of the award-winning Pendine Park care organisation and Chair of Care Forum Wales, has been named as the UK’s Care Personality of the Year.
The accolade was bestowed during a glittering ceremony at the London Hilton Metropole Hotel hosted by TV personality John Sergeant, the former Political Editor of ITN.
Mr Kreft is the first person from Wales to receive the prestigious award from Caring Times magazine.
It came the day after he was named the Care Personality of the Year in Wales at the UK Over 50s Housing Weekly Awards at Central Hall Westminster, across the road from the Houses of Parliament in London.
Completing the treble was a Recognition of Achievement Award from the Welsh Government in recognition of his innovative work.It was presented by First Minister Carwyn Jones during a ceremony at Ruthin Castle.
Among the first to congratulate Mr Kreft was Wrexham AM Lesley Griffiths, who is also the Health Minister in Wales.
She said: ” “I am delighted that Mario has been honoured with this magnificent hat-trick of awards.
“This recognition for all his pioneering work and dedication for more than 25 years is richly deserved.
“Mario leads by example and is an eloquent and effective champion for social care in Wales.
“At the same time, he is lucky to have fantastic support from his colleagues at Pendine Park and Care Forum Wales while his wife, Gill, is his rock.”
The sentiment was echoed by the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services, Gwenda Thomas.
She said: ” It shows that Care Forum Wales is a really important organisation in Wales and beyond and not only that, it’s part of a wider partnership taking care forward into the next decade and Mario’s involvement has shown the importance of the private care sector in that partnership.
“Wales can claim to be a country of firsts in many things such as the appointment of an Older People’s Commissioner but this is an example of Mario in person bringing the award for the first time to Wales and it’s the culmination of the good work he has led in Wales over many years.”
Last year Mr Kreft was awarded the MBE as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours in recognition of his services to social care.
One of his proudest achievements was founding the Wales Care Awards which celebrates the skill and dedication of the unsung heroes and heroines of social care. The event will be celebrating its 10th anniversary next year.
The MBE coincided with the 25th anniversary of Pendine Park and the opening of a new centre of excellence, called Bodlondeb (place of contentment) to look after people with dementia at their main site in Wrexham.
It was officially opened by the First Minister who described Bodlondeb as “a wonderful place”.
Now, there are also plans in the pipeline for a similar, £5 million centre in Caernarfon which will create more than 100 new jobs if it’s given the green light by planners.
Mr Kreft was surprised but delighted to receive three major honours in the space of a month.
He said: “These awards are also recognition for the fantastic work done by the dedicated staff of Pendine Park and Care Forum Wales and I have accepted them gladly on that basis.
“We now have Welsh Government approval for the notion of a single voice for independent care providers in Wales.
“People understand that we have to find a much better way forward by working in partnership in a way that clearly is not happening anywhere else in the UK at this time.
“I think the awards show what can be done if we really work together.
“Here in Wales, we’re on the cusp of a major new development in terms of the forthcoming health and social services Bill.
“This will be the single biggest legislative change in 50 years in Wales so far as social services is concerned and it will inform what’s going to happen for a generation.
“If we can be brave and grasp this opportunity over the next couple of years then the people of Wales who will need social care services now and in the future will be in a much better place.
“We must put people, their families and social care workers at the heart of this important legislation.
“We want to see the independent providers, who are largely funded through public money, at the centre of the decision-making process.
“By working as equal partners with local government and the NHS we will be better placed to provide a seamless service, ensuring we give people the right care in the right place at the right time.”
