Senedd election manifesto analysis
24 April 2026
An analysis of the the six main political parties' manifestos for the Senedd election through a health and social care lens.
Social care
Workforce
Primary care
Prevention
NHS architecture
Digital
With two weeks to go until the Senedd election, we have reviewed and analysed the manifestos of the six main political parties in Wales through a health and social care lens and with reference to NHS leaders’ priorities. Our analysis is not exhaustive, but highlights some key points in each manifesto.
Overview
Most of the six main political parties’ manifestos broadly cover the Welsh NHS Confederation's calls for the 2026 Senedd election; all commit to a focus on prevention, planning for the NHS and social care workforce and developing a sustainable social care system through a variety of proposals. They all recognise the need to focus on delivering more care closer to home and all touch on capital investment in NHS estates infrastructure in some shape or form. However, the level of detail on how each of these priorities will be implemented differs, with very little on costings across the board.
The general feeling among NHS leaders is that the manifesto pledges don’t go far enough in acknowledging the scale of the challenge and presenting proportionate solutions.
While the manifestos begin to acknowledge the changes needed to transform the health and care system in Wales, the Welsh NHS will continue to face higher demand from demographic change – for example, the proportion of our population over the age of 75 is projected to increase by a further 7% by 2030, a cohort that is heavily reliant on health and care services.
Aside from demographic pressures, there will be rising costs associated with adoption of new technologies, drugs and treatments, yet total funding for Welsh Government day-to-day spending is set to increase by only 0.7% per year in real terms for the next Senedd term.
We must now work with the next Welsh Government to establish the ‘how’ - the implementation – and hold them to account for the delivery of a more preventative, integrated and community-led healthcare system.
Key points from each manifesto
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru’s manifesto focuses on care closer to home, proposing to hire up to 100 additional salaried GPs, improving access to out-of-hours care by investing in digitisation and telehealth services to expand access to GP services through remote and online appointments. Plaid would also implement a new 10-year digital strategy for Digital Health and Care Wales.
Their manifesto also emphasises earlier diagnosis and treatment, particularly for serious conditions such as cancer. Plaid would also deliver 10 new surgical hubs for high-volume treatments and increase hospital bed numbers to address corridor care. Plaid would legislate to strengthen collaboration between health boards and wants to focus on improving outcomes rather than simply managing demand. They would also appoint a Minister for Public Health.
On social care, Plaid would create a national care system, with the long-term aim of making care free at the point of need.
Full manifesto: For Wales - The Party of Wales
Reform UK Wales
Reform UK Wales’ manifesto proposes launching an emergency action plan to scale planned care capacity to reduce waiting lists for treatment, including expanding surgical hubs. Rapid diagnostic centres would be used to address delays in diagnosis that they say currently act as a bottleneck for patient admission.
Reform also proposes increasing resources for primary care, introducing flexible working for staff and developing a 10-year cancer survival plan.
On social care, Reform would develop a fully costed integration framework between health and social care with clear accountability, and would expand intermediate and step-down care so patients can leave the hospital safely when acute care is no longer needed.
Full manifesto: Reform Wales Senedd Manifesto 2026
Wales Green Party
The Wales Green Party’s manifesto focuses on building a health system centred on prevention, long-term wellbeing and joined-up care with more integration, joint planning, and data sharing.
The Greens say they would put an immediate end to corridor care by declaring any incidents as an emergency and immediately address (what they are calling) the mental health pandemic in Wales.
They want to see health run through homes, schools, workplaces and communities and want to measure success not only by treatments delivered, but by whether people live healthier lives and those most excluded are supported to thrive.
On social care, the Green Party say they would improve pay parity, workforce wellbeing and safe conditions, and expand local not-for-profit and community-led provision.
Full manifesto: Senedd Manifesto 2026
Welsh Conservatives
The Welsh Conservatives’ say they would declare a health emergency and immediately reopen closed wards in existing community hospitals across Wales, aiming to support patients with step down and rehabilitation care closer to home.
They would also issue an urgent review of hospital bed capacity and increase bed numbers in district general hospitals. Through this, they aim to prevent excessive emergency department waits and delayed transfers of care from ambulances.
On social care, they would support stronger joint working between the NHS and social care services and set up an Independent Commission to design long-term social-care funding solutions.
Full manifesto: Fix Wales: our plan to get Wales working
Welsh Labour
Welsh Labour’s manifesto proposes guaranteeing access to a member of the primary care team within 48 hours for those with urgent primary care needs, alongside expanding community diagnostic services and pharmacy-based care to bring services closer to home.
Labour say they would spend £4 billion over the next decade on new hospitals in Wrexham, Cardiff and west Wales.
On social care, Labour would introduce legally enforceable fair pay agreements for people working in both adult and children’s social care and create a Social Care Academy to help train the care workforce.
Full manifesto: A New Chapter for Wales
Welsh Liberal Democrats
The Welsh Liberal Democrats’ manifesto prioritises early intervention and community-based care to reduce pressure on hospitals and improve long-term outcomes. Commitments include addressing pressures at both entry and discharge points in the NHS by investing in primary care and reforming social care.
The party proposes introducing a temporary 1p increase in the Welsh Rate of Income Tax, if UK-level funding reforms are not delivered, to support urgent investment in social care (£300m) and they say they would ensure "not a penny" is spent on moving towards Wales leaving the United Kingdom.
Full manifesto: A Stronger Wales in a Stronger UK