One year to go: NHS leaders' calls published for 2026 Senedd election

One year before the Senedd election, a new report from the Welsh NHS Confederation sets out what NHS leaders in Wales want the next Welsh Government to prioritise as services grapple with continuously rising demand.

Developed following a survey of 95 NHS leaders across Wales, the membership body for NHS organisations in Wales is calling for a greater focus on prevention and the wider determinants of health, requiring a shift to long-term budgets and planning.

The report outlines how, without a greater focus on prevention and the long term, the projected burden on health and social care is insurmountable. This is in light of the ever-growing needs of the population with preventable illness on the rise, meaning the number of people living with four+ Long Term Conditions is expected to double by 2035*.

In the survey, 87% of NHS leaders supported a cross-government plan for health improvement to shift the focus from treating illness to promoting health and wellbeing. The report therefore calls for the next Welsh Government to deliver a cross-government national strategy to improve health and wellbeing and reduce inequalities. It says this will shift the focus to prevention and early intervention, reducing inequalities and tackling the wider determinants of health, boosting economic growth and supporting people to be active partners in their own health and wellbeing.

Commenting on the publication of the report, which will be discussed with all political parties, Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said:

“We know things are predicted to get tougher, including the proportion of the population aged 80 and over doubling between 2000 and 2038* - a cohort that already accounts for a huge proportion of daily NHS activity.

“There is only so far the NHS and other public bodies can go in making meaningful, sustainable and coordinated progress if the right conditions aren’t in place. It’s more important than ever that governments, sectors and organisations start thinking differently about health and wellbeing, how we deliver services and creating resilient communities. Existing short-term funding cycles, which go against the principles set out in the Well-being of Future Generations Act, make for long-term uncertainty, inhibiting our members’ ability to plan for the future and make the best use of taxpayers’ money.

“Now is the time to prioritise investment in prevention to reverse the decline in the nation’s health and wellbeing, address the root cause of health inequalities and enable the people of Wales to live longer, healthier and happier lives.”