News

• New Safeguarding programme to strengthen protection for children, young people and adults at risk from abuse and neglect
• A new Ministerial Assurance Board and intelligence hub to detect warning signs earlier and share information faster
• Children, young people and adults voices will be at the centre of the programme.

• All neonatal units in Wales are now engaged with the Bliss Baby Charter, either having achieved bronze accreditation, or submitted for assessment.
• The Bliss Baby Charter means neonatal teams treat parents as essential partners, involving them in decisions about their baby's care.
• Bilingual resources and tailored support are being developed to help all families take part in their baby's care.

• The fine for leaving a vehicle engine running while parked will rise from £20 to between £75 and £150 from 30 September 2026. 

• The change aims to protect public health by reducing air pollution, which contributes to heart and lung disease and disproportionately affects children and vulnerable people. 

• Cabinet Minister Llyr Gruffydd marked the change with a visit to Marshfield Primary School in Newport, where pupils have taken part in a Welsh Government-funded anti-idling project. 

• New approach designed to strengthen accountability of NHS Wales as well as spotting risks earlier and getting support to health boards and trusts sooner.
• Support will be proportionate, time-bound and based on clear evidence of progress.
• Health Minister says the aim is to give people greater confidence that NHS services are supported to improve when challenges arise.

A new state of the art hub aimed at cutting NHS Wales waiting times and improving access to treatment is being backed by £121m Welsh Government funding.

Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, Mabon ap Gwynfor, responds to the latest NHS Wales activity and performance data.

• Clinically led approach to clear longest waits and bring the overall waiting list down to pre-pandemic levels before the end of this Senedd term.
• More surgical capacity targeting the specialities where waits are longest.
• Improvements to how patients are referred and how follow-up appointments are managed, freeing up tens of thousands of spaces.

• From this week, young people are receiving the second dose of the MenB vaccine
• Over 17,000 have come forward for their first dose
• There is still time for those in the eligible cohort to receive their first dose
• Both doses are necessary for full protection.

Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, Mabon ap Gwynfor, responds to the latest NHS Wales activity and performance data.

• Gareth Evans, a podiatrist and experienced health and care leader, has taken up the role of Wales's Chief Allied Health Professions Officer.
• Allied health professionals (AHPs) are central to the Welsh Government's preventative health agenda and in delivering care closer to home.
• The appointment strengthens national professional leadership and advice for  AHPs as Wales shifts to community-based models of care.

Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, Mabon ap Gwynfor, responds to the latest NHS Wales activity and performance data.

• For the first time since devolution, Wales has a Minister with specific responsibility for preventative health
• New cross-government governance arrangements will embed prevention and health across Welsh Government decision-making and spending
• Early actions include rolling out physical activity programmes across primary schools, tackling vaping amongst our children and young people, developing a national lung cancer screening programme, supporting people to access nutritious food and extending the vaccination programme ahead of the winter.