Public Affairs Update - December 2023

Welsh Government Updates

New First Minister in 2024

Mark Drakeford announced that he was stepping down as First Minister in 2025. Jeremy Miles, the Education and Welsh Language Minister, and Vaughan Gething, Economy Minister shortly afterwards announced they will stand for the position. Whoever wins the vote in the Senedd will take up the post in March 2024.

Budget 2024-2025

The Finance Minister announced that there will be an extra £450m for the NHS in the Government's spending plans for 2024-2025 – an increase of 4%. She added later that week in plenary that next year there will be ring-fenced funding of £800m of support for mental health services.

But the total budget of £1.3 billion for Wales is less in real terms than it was in 2021 due to the current economic climate and our portion granted through the Barnett Formula. Other key services have seen their budgets reduced. Concern has been raised that the ALN budget had been cut by 86%.

Health Impact Assessment Regulation consultation

The Health and Social Care Minister announced that she is launching a consultation on the proposed health impact assessment (HIA) regulations under the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017, which will require certain public bodies to conduct HIAs (which includes both mental and physical health) in some circumstances.

The consultation asks: what we want to consider; to whom the regulations apply; when the regulations will apply; how a HIA should be conducted; publishing a Health Impact Assessment and the role of Public Health Wales.

Plans for a new National Care and Support Service

The Deputy Minister for Social Services announced the publication of the report by an Expert Reference Group into creating a national care and support service for Wales – part of the promises set out in the Cooperation Agreement between Plaid and Labour in 2019. The key aspect of the plan is to make social care, like health care, "free at the point of need".

Senedd

The Mental Health Standards of Care (Wales) Bill

James Evans, MS (Con) and Shadow Minister for Mental Health & Wellbeing, succeeded in getting the Senedd's agreement to proceed with his Members' Bill – Mental Health Standards of Care (Wales) Bill. The Bill proposes improvement to both the Mental Health Act and the Measure in the devolved context where possible, namely to:

• replace the Nearest Relative provisions in the Act with a new role of Nominated Person.
• enshrine a change in the criteria for detention to ensure that people can only be detained if they pose a risk of serious harm either to themselves or to others, and that there must be a reasonable prospect of therapeutic benefit to the patient.
• introduce remote (virtual) assessment under 'specific provisions' relating to Second Opinion Appointed Doctors (SOADs), and Independent Mental Health Advocates (IMHA).

It will also look to amend the Measure to ensure that there is no age limit to who can request a re-assessment of their mental health and to extend the ability to request a re-assessment to people specified by the patient. More details are in the Explanatory Memorandum.

The timetable is under consideration, but likely that there will be a consultation in spring, ahead of the formal introduction and Stage 1 scrutiny later in 2024.

Update of the Senedd Chronic Conditions Inquiry

The Health and Social Care Committee received evidence during Phase 1 of their inquiry (see our response here) and have agreed the Terms of Reference for Phase 2.  The Committee says that "A clear overarching message from the consultation was the need to improve person-centred, holistic care, and to stop focusing on individual conditions in isolation." In the new year they'll be taking more evidence from those with chronic conditions, conducting focus group with stakeholder organisations, and receiving further oral evidence.

Welsh Conservatives Round Table on Workforce

Russell George, MS (Con) and Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee is holding a Round Table in January, inviting stakeholders to discuss issues around the health workforce in Wales. He will use this to help develop future policies around the NHS. Although we haven't been invited to attend, we submitted a three page report on the current landscape of the psychology workforce in Wales.

Consultations

Welsh Government: White Paper on ending homelessness in Wales - deadline 16 January

The Welsh Government are consulting on: reform of existing core homelessness legislation; the role of the Welsh public service in preventing homelessness; targeted proposals to prevent homelessness for those disproportionately affected; and access to housing.

Find out more about the White Paper on ending homelessness in Wales.

Members' views are welcomed as they will help inform our response.

Please email [email protected] by 9 January.