National Assembly for Wales

Sustainable health and social care depends on prevention, early intervention and supporting people to stay healthy and independent. By strengthening community-based services, improving integration between health and social care, and delivering the national care service and Community by Design programme, we are building services that can meet future demand.

The Welsh Government’s ambition is to deliver a single, integrated patient record for Wales. We are refreshing the digital and data strategy to support a 'one patient, one record' approach, building on existing national platforms and digital services to improve interoperability, patient safety and access to information across care settings.

The Welsh Government provides £12.7 million annually to regional partnership boards across Wales to improve dementia services and strengthen joint working between health, social care and voluntary-sector organisations. We recently consulted on a draft dementia strategy, and these responses are informing our final strategy, due to be published in early 2027.

Welsh health services provide neurodivergent people with the same duty of care as all patients: safe, effective and person-centred care that meets their individual needs. Through our Neurodivergence Improvement Programme, we are reducing waiting times, improving support and ensuring people can access help throughout their journey, not only after diagnosis.

We are working to improve health outcomes across Wales through our ambitious manifesto and 100-day commitments. Embedding prevention across government, a new cancer plan and new surgical hubs are just some examples of this work.

Progressive housing policies, alongside an effective planning system and local leadership ensure a community-led approach. This will deliver affordable homes that meet the needs of people and communities. We will deliver a new approach to strategic planning that brings housing, regeneration, connectivity and economic development together within a single, coherent vision for Wales.

The town-centre taskforce will address the structural challenges facing town centres, including business rates and planning reform, by working collaboratively with partners and maintaining a strong focus on delivery to help town centres adapt, attract investment and activity, and thrive in the years ahead.

Adequate and efficient infrastructure, including services such as education and health, is crucial for economic, social and environmental sustainability. Planning authorities should, in conjunction with key providers, take a strategic and long-term approach towards the provision of infrastructure as part of local plan development.

The new changes to the energy efficiency requirements of the building regulations in Wales will come into force in March 2027. These will mandate requirements for low-carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps or heat networks, and renewable electricity generation, such as solar panels, in all newly built dwellings.

We committed in our manifesto to exploring opportunities for further permitted development rights to allow community-led housing and make it easier to convert empty buildings on high streets and spaces above shops into residences. This will be achieved through changes to regulations.