Written question WQ92505

Health boards are responsible for providing preventative care, based on the needs of their local populations.

The delivery of healthcare in rural settings can present unique challenges, including relative distances from healthcare settings and less frequent public transport options. Advances in telemedicine in primary and community care allow NHS services to provide care closer to people’s homes and in their own communities.

Our National Framework for Social Prescribing, launched last November, will enable organisations to work together to design and develop services to support prevention in rural areas, particularly through Regional Partnership Boards.

There are excellent examples of the third sector working with local government and local health boards to support preventative services, such as associations of voluntary organisations in Powys and Pembrokeshire. The framework will support the sharing of best practice across Wales but allows for services to be designed and delivered in a way that is most appropriate for local communities.