17 September 2026 , Health and Social Care Committee
General scrutiny session with the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health and the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
Yes, absolutely, and I think the committee and we would benefit from your expertise in this area as well. The focus has to be on children and young people in terms of prevention. We know that healthy life expectancy is getting worse, so our children will be…
17 September 2026 , Health and Social Care Committee
General scrutiny session with the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health and the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
Yes, you're right. As you know, 40 per cent of cancers are preventable. So, it's really important that we look at this as part, and we are looking at it as part—. As we develop the cancer strategy, that preventative element will be crucially important…
17 September 2026 , Health and Social Care Committee
General scrutiny session with the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health and the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
We're looking at that now. That feeds into, as I mentioned earlier, having a ministerial cross-Government group. That is going to be key and one of the first things that we need to look at, so that we are clear, as Sioned mentioned, what is the definition…
17 September 2026 , Health and Social Care Committee
General scrutiny session with the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health and the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
This is crucial, isn't it, because we know that budgets change behaviours in terms of the work that's done. As I said, the first job is to get that definition right and then to analyse and disaggregate the current funding in terms of preventative work. We've…
17 September 2026 , Health and Social Care Committee
General scrutiny session with the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health and the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
And healthy life expectancy—the fact that that's getting worse. The fact that people living in our deprived communities are expected to live more of their years in poorer health, and that's getting worse. And, I guess, linked to that, looking at obesity as a…
17 September 2026 , Health and Social Care Committee
General scrutiny session with the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health and the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
Thank you. I think that one of the greatest outcomes is the shift in terms of how we think about preventative health. The First Minister was clear, when he gave me the post, that this is a cross-Government issue and, as I mentioned earlier, making sure that…
17 September 2026 , Health and Social Care Committee
General scrutiny session with the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health and the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
This is of course part of the response to climate change. We all saw that over the summer. Public Health Wales has been doing a rapid review of the impact of the heat over the summer, seeing that there were more deaths happening every day. So, we are learning…
17 September 2026 , Health and Social Care Committee
General scrutiny session with the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health and the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
We're setting out a cross-Government ministerial group, which I'm chairing, in order to get that focus. One of the key things that we need to do is to ensure that there's a well-understood definition of prevention and preventative measures. There are…
17 September 2026 , Health and Social Care Committee
General scrutiny session with the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health and the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
So, we know that, as the Cabinet Minister has mentioned, our healthcare service, we need to put it on a sustainable footing. The fact that we are getting iller as a population and the fact that healthy life expectancy is decreasing will increasingly put…
17 September 2026 , Health and Social Care Committee
General scrutiny session with the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health and the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
Great. Thank you very much, and thank you to the committee for the opportunity to be here today. As Mabon mentioned, clearly, our work has focused in the first 100 days on realising the ambitions we set out. We are now, of course, steering the programme for…
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
Diolch. The NHS dental contract arrangements that came into force on 1 April this year represent the most significant changes to NHS dentistry in two decades. Health needs and prevention are at the heart of the new system, creating an opportunity to improve…
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
Well, I'm glad you agree with the priority that we've put on tackling waiting lists and the investment that we've set out in the supplementary budget in order to do that. I hope, indeed, that Members would reflect on what voting against that supplementary…
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
Across Wales, the area planning boards have developed a range of information about ketamine, mainly focused on awareness raising, harm reduction, reducing risks and ensuring information is being disseminated widely. Areas are also adapting services to address…
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
Thank you very much. There are serious concerns about the use of ketamine and the increase in the use of ketamine, of course, particularly among young people, and the harm that that can cause. Thank you for your work during the last Senedd in this area. I…
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
Thank you. You're right to point out the cancer inequalities. I think that's one of the clearest examples of the wider health inequalities that we face in Wales, especially in some of the communities in south Wales. Evidence shows that people living in more…
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
Diolch. As you will well know—and thank you for your work in this area—everyone aged 12 and over diagnosed with diabetes and registered with a GP in Wales is invited for screening through the Diabetic Eye Screening Wales service. The OCT you mentioned…
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
Thank you. On the first point there, in terms of tobacco and vaping, you've referenced the consultation that we launched last week. I mentioned that a key priority is making sure that we tackle the increasing number of children and young people who are…
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
Diolch. Thanks for those questions. In terms of the outcomes, we're going to be working on a public health strategy that brings all of this together in terms of what we're trying to achieve across portfolios, and looking at those objectives and those outcomes…
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
Thanks for the contribution and for the welcome into the role. In terms of the bilaterals and the shared Government understanding, I think this is the first time we've ever had this discussion across Government level. I think there have been lots of pockets…
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
Thank you. You could have had another 10 seconds of pleasantries at the—
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
Llywydd, we firmly believe that building a healthier population is not only a moral imperative, particularly in tackling deep-rooted inequalities, but is also fundamental to improving the wider prosperity and resilience of our nation. That is why we are…
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
I have agreed with the First Minister that Government decision making will be informed by a shared focus on public and preventative health. Official and ministerial-level cross-Government governance arrangements are being established to support this. These…
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
More than seven decades on, that message remains as relevant as ever. But treating illness is never enough on its own. Preventative and public health are the key to unlocking a more sustainable future for our health system and our wider population. In an age…
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
'the victories won by preventive medicine are much the most important for mankind.'
14 July 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health: Priorities for Public and Preventative Health
Dirprwy Lywydd, today I am setting out my ministerial priorities for public and preventative health for this Senedd term. As we celebrate 78 years since Aneurin Bevan established the NHS, built on the radical principle that the circumstances of your birth…
