The Welsh NHS Confederation has called on Wales’ new first minister Eluned Morgan to include conversations about the country’s population health in her “listening exercise” with the public so they can inform decisions about Welsh Government priorities over the next 18 months.
Former Welsh health minister Morgan announced her cabinet two weeks ago, while also committing to a public consultation over the summer to help determine the Welsh Government’s priorities and structure until 2026.
The Welsh NHS Confederation’s director, Darren Hughes, has called on her to include conversations on “what every individual, organisation, sector and government department can do to improve our chances of living healthier lives” for the future.
This comes after the same organisation launched a call for a national conversation on the future of healthcare in Wales last September. The call was backed by 32 organisations across the country, ranging from the Royal College of GPs and the Independent Healthcare Providers Network to Macmillan.
“All sectors and government departments must work together to co-produce the transformation of health and care services and engage with the public as part of this,” added Hughes.
“It’s simply not an option to stay as we are, we need to think about the future now.”
The Welsh NHS Confederation emphasises that the NHS does not “hold all the levers” to address health inequalities – it is thought that access to NHS services accounts for only 20% of the population’s health.
The wider determinants of health – i.e., fair work, housing, transport, green space access, leisure, arts etc. – play a huge role and unless public services are funded sustainably to help with prevention, demand will only rise.
Hughes added: “In such economically challenging times, budgets impacting the wider determinants of health become more squeezed. However, unless we reverse these spending cuts, this will lead to greater costs and unmet need in the long-term.”
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