What is the Cabinet Secretary’s response to the Bevan Commission report The Values And Value Of The Third Sector, which emphasises a need for healthcare in Wales to transition from acute to preventative care?
I welcome the publication of the Bevan Commission’s report into the invaluable contribution of the third sector to supporting our desire to see a shift from acute health services to a more preventative approach.
Our long-term strategy for Health and Social Care, A Healthier Wales, sets out our vision for a healthcare system in Wales with prevention at its heart, with a desire to see a move over the longer term to our NHS supporting prevention and wellbeing as its primary function. I have recently asked my officials to refresh the actions in A Healthier Wales, considering the new context we operate in after the pandemic, and they will be published in due course.
We recognise the role that non-NHS services play in the prevention agenda, which is why I was pleased the previous Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing launched the National Framework for Social Prescribing in late 2023, a key Programme for Government commitment, which seeks to support and embed the use of social prescribing across Wales.