Health

NHS Wales faces ‘historically low’ funding settlement

Published

6 months ago

October 23, 2025

NHS WALES faces an exceptionally low funding settlement by historical standards in the Welsh Government’s spending plans for next year, finance experts have warned.

Taking evidence on the outline draft budget, the Senedd’s finance committee heard the health service would receive a lower increase than the average over the past 15 years.

Ed Poole, a lecturer and part of the Wales Fiscal Analysis team at Cardiff University, said the health and social care budget is rising by about £261m – 2.1% before inflation or 0.5% in real terms – “and that’s way below the historical growth rate in health spending”.

Dr Poole told today’s (October 22) meeting: “It’s below the 3.6% real-terms annual increase that we’ve seen in the NHS, it’s below the 2.1% real-terms increase we’ve seen since 2010 which includes, of course, the austerity budget years.”

He added the increase would be significantly lower than that planned for NHS England.

Dr Poole explained headroom has been left for negotiations with other political parties, with about £380m said to be unallocated in the budget, but cautioned “that’s probably unrealistic”.

“If that were to be brought forward then we’d have an historically low settlement for the NHS,” he said. “So, I think the amount of additional money from those unallocated funds is quite a bit smaller than is presented.”

Guto Ifan, also a lecturer and part of the Wales Fiscal Analysis team, said: “It’s not totally neutral. So, for example, it’s a political decision to increase every part of the budget… in the same way and protect budgets from… projected inflationary costs.”

Mr Ifan pointed to UK Treasury transparency data, which showed consequential funding from NHS spending in England next year will be about £518m, saying: “The increase to the NHS is going to be below that, so that again is a political decision.”

He said even if the entire £231m extra available for day-to-day spending – as part of the unallocated £380m – went to the Welsh NHS, it would equate to a 2.5% real-terms rise.

David Phillips, an associate director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies who leads the research institute’s work on devolved finance, echoed the academics’ evidence.

He said: “Even if all this unallocated money… was put into the NHS, that would still be only roughly in line with the estimate of what you need to just keep things steady in terms of performance – let alone see the improvements we want.”

Labour needs support from other parties to pass its spending plans and has held talks with the Conservatives over a budget deal this week.

The Tories have called for land transaction tax to be scrapped on people’s primary homes, with experts estimating the cost at about £200m and warning it would push house prices up.

Mr Phillips stressed: “There really isn’t this money for the next Senedd to do as it pleases with – unless it’s willing to make tough choices on things like the NHS.”

He added: “If you want to start to use some of that money for new initiatives, that means either difficult decisions for the NHS… other services or difficult choices on tax.”

The economist set out the context of a difficult year – with the Welsh Government’s funding going up by less in the coming financial year than in the past couple, Labour lacking a majority to pass spending plans, and a competitive Senedd election looming in May.

He told the committee funding in the 2026/27 draft budget would increase just above current forecasts of whole-economy inflation, adding: “The Welsh Government has in the past described this as a neutral or business-as-usual budget, I don’t think that’s really the case.”

Mr Phillips argued a business-as-usual budget would give different increases to areas such as health and schools to account for the differing pressures facing each.

He said: “At first glance, it seems laudable to do a neutral budget then give the next Senedd more choice about how to allocate funding. I don’t think framing the existing allocations that have been proposed as neutral or business as usual has been that helpful.”

Dr Poole warned: “If the Senedd is unable to pass a budget, that is a whole other level of magnitude of uncertainty… it’s all bets are off at that point.”

Health

Turkish dental clinic to hold Haverfordwest meet-up

Published

1 day ago

April 29, 2026

Staff Writer

DENTISTS FROM ANTALYA TO VISIT COUNTY TOWN

A TURKISH dental clinic is running a dental meet-up in Haverfordwest this weekend as part of a promotional visit to Wales.

Unique Smile Turkey, which has a permanent office in Wales in Swansea, says its top dentists will be coming to Haverfordwest on Sunday (May 3).

The event is being advertised as a “Dental Meet-Up” and is scheduled to run from 10:00am to 6:00pm at the Mariners Hotel.

The visit features three clinicians: Assoc Prof Dr Ummuhan Tozoglu, described as a specialist in oral diagnosis, radiology and dental planning; Professor Dr Sinan Tozoglu, described as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and implantologist; and Professor Dr Ismet Duran, described as a periodontologist and implantologist.

The team have between twenty and 35 years of experience in their respective fields.

A contact number has also been provided for enquiries: +90 505 678 90 90.

The visit comes amid continuing interest in dental tourism, with many people in the UK looking overseas for cosmetic dentistry, implants and other private dental treatment.

Turkey has become one of the most popular destinations for such treatment, although patients are generally urged to make careful checks before committing to any procedure abroad, including aftercare arrangements, qualifications, insurance, treatment plans and what support would be available if complications arise after returning home.

Health

Welsh public backs urgent action on dementia ahead of Senedd elections

Published

3 days ago

April 28, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Calls grow for diagnosis, care and support to become national priority

NEW figures reveal overwhelming public demand for dementia to be placed at the top of Wales’ political agenda, with voters urging action on diagnosis, treatment and support ahead of the Senedd elections.

Research by Alzheimer’s Society Cymru shows that 83% of people in Wales want dementia made a healthcare priority, while 69% believe it is currently overlooked and underfunded.

More than a thousand adults were surveyed, with the findings highlighting growing concern over diagnosis rates and access to care. Wales continues to record some of the lowest dementia diagnosis rates in the UK, leaving thousands of families without clarity or support.

Around 51,000 people are currently living with dementia in Wales, a figure expected to rise to 70,000 by 2040. Despite this, only 57% of people have received a formal diagnosis, with rates falling as low as 48% in rural areas such as Powys.

Improving diagnosis remains a key concern, with 91% of those surveyed saying access to timely diagnosis must improve, and 87% backing increased investment in diagnostic services. However, respondents also stressed that diagnosis alone is not enough, with 91% saying people with dementia must receive better support, including help for unpaid carers.

Ceri Parry, from Cardiff, said she was forced to retire early from her role as a headteacher at the age of 55 due to a lack of support for her mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2020.

She said: “I fully support improving early and accurate diagnosis, but this must also come with improved support and care for families afterwards. There’s five years between my relatives’ diagnoses and nothing changed. On both occasions we left with a leaflet and the unknown.

“The wait for improved diagnosis, treatment and support needs to end. Dementia must be a top priority for the next Welsh Government, for families living with it now and for those who will face it in the future.

“We also found there was no diagnosis assessment available in the Welsh language. That’s a fundamental issue if a diagnosis is to be accurate and safe for people who speak Welsh as their first language. Ignoring someone’s identity is ignoring the person.”

The survey also found that visible action would be key to restoring public confidence, with 72% calling for improved dementia services, 64% backing more funding for research, and 63% wanting better access to treatments.

Gemma Roberts, National Influencing Manager at Alzheimer’s Society Cymru, said: “Dementia is Wales’s biggest killer and one of the greatest health and social care challenges we face.

“Hope is on the horizon with new treatments and faster, more accurate diagnosis, but the system is not keeping pace. Without urgent transformation, people in Wales risk missing out.

“We are at a turning point. The next Welsh Government must deliver a bold new dementia strategy that transforms diagnosis and ensures access to quality care, treatments and support.”

Health

Dentists warn next Welsh Government must act to save NHS dentistry

Published

7 days ago

April 24, 2026

Tom Sinclair

DENTISTS have warned that NHS dentistry in Wales is at a “make or break” point, with access to treatment now ranking as one of the biggest local concerns for voters ahead of the Senedd election.

The British Dental Association said new polling by YouGov showed local dentistry services were now a top doorstep issue in Wales, with 30% of adults naming it as one of the most important issues in their local area.

That places dentistry ahead of crime and education, both on 14%, and above job opportunities, which were cited by 27% of respondents.

The poll also found that 79% of people in Wales believe the Welsh Government should be doing more to improve NHS dentistry, while only 11% think ministers are doing all they reasonably can.

According to the BDA, unmet need for NHS dentistry now stands at around a third of the adult population in Wales. One in five people said they had tried but failed to get an NHS dental appointment in the past two years, while a further 13% said they had not tried because they assumed they would be unable to secure one.

The professional body said the figures suggest Wales may now be the worst place in Britain to be an NHS dental patient.

The warning comes after controversial dental reforms were introduced in Wales on April 1. The BDA says the changes were forced through without proper testing and have already led some practices to return NHS contracts or reduce their NHS commitment.

It is calling for a “safety net” for struggling practices, including a pause on implementation until 2027 while further improvements are worked up.

The association is also calling for a break from what it describes as chronic underfunding, better protection for vulnerable patients, and a change of tone from the next Welsh Government.

Russell Gidney, Chair of the BDA’s Welsh General Dental Practice Committee, said: “NHS dentistry in Wales was already in crisis, and without decisive action things are set to go from bad to worse.

“Untested reforms have already seen many dentists walk away from the NHS. Whoever forms the next government will need a plan to guarantee the future of this service.

“For voters facing access and cost of living crises dentistry matters. Political choices mean it is now a real concern on the doorstep – polling ahead of crime, education and even jobs as a top-flight issue facing Wales.

“Our message to all candidates and all parties is very clear: dentistry is on the ballot paper in this election. And the public will measure how you choose to respond.

“This is a service millions of voters depend on. Meaningful action will be rewarded. Complacency will be punished.”

The Welsh Government has defended its reforms, saying the new contract is designed to “make NHS dentistry more accessible, fairer and sustainable,” with a stronger focus on prevention and prioritising patients based on clinical need.

The YouGov survey of 1,092 Welsh adults was carried out between February 2 and February 9, 2026.