THE WELSH LABOUR GOVERNMENT says it is investing an extra £3m in bereavement services across Wales to help ensure those going through difficult times can access the support they need, when they need it.

The Bereavement Support Grant supports people experiencing a loss, with specialist forms of support available for those experiencing more complex forms of grief.

The three-year additional funding continues to help organisations currently benefiting from the Welsh Labour Government’s existing bereavement care offer across Wales.

This includes Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, the first health board in Wales to provide a psychology-led bereavement service for those who experience the death of a baby, either in pregnancy or up to 28 days following the birth of their baby.

Sarah Murphy, Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, said: “I am proud that we as a Welsh Labour Government can continue to provide these important services  to ensure that people have the right support they need, when they need it.

“Wales is a compassionate nation and providing additional funding for the Bereavement Support Grant will help these services continue, with the goal of everyone in Wales having equitable access to high-quality bereavement care and support.”

A new digital service aimed at making it easier to find an NHS dentist is being rolled out across Wales.

The Dental Access Portal provides a central platform for people to register their interest in NHS dentistry and for health boards to allocate places for routine NHS dental treatment. The system aims to provide a clearer picture of demand for NHS dental services and eliminate the need for people to call multiple dental surgeries in search of an NHS dentist.

New service launched

To apply through the Dental Access Portal, individuals must:

• Be aged 16 or over (parents or guardians can apply for under-16s)
• Not have received routine dental treatment on the NHS in the last four years
• Live at an address in Wales for more than six months of the year or be registered with a Welsh GP practice

Health Secretary Jeremy Miles welcomed the launch, stating: “Access to NHS dentistry is not where we or the public want it to be.

“This new service will help people who may not have seen a dentist for some time get access to routine NHS appointments.

“Since the trial began in Powys, thousands of people have already been added to the list and will be allocated an NHS dentist as appointments become available.”

Positive feedback from trial

Warren Tolley, dental director at Powys Teaching Health Board, which was the first to trial the new portal, described the experience as “extremely positive.”

“The interface is very user-friendly, allowing people to quickly enter their details, and the admin function has made allocating people to a dental practice quick and easy,” he said.

The new Dental Access Portal will be run by Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW). Sam Hall, director of primary care, community and mental health digital services at DHCW, said: “The development of the Dental Access Portal means we now have a national platform that can provide a clearer picture of demand for routine NHS Wales dental services.

“Allowing people to enrol themselves or those they care for using one online system simplifies and makes fairer the process of registering an interest with an NHS dentist for everyone in Wales.”

Greater efficiency for health boards

Jeremy Miles added: “Capturing this information in one place will have enormous benefits; it will provide health boards with a clear understanding of need in their area and enable them to manage the allocation of people to dental practices as capacity allows.

“For the public, it will remove the need to contact multiple practices, providing an equitable and fairer system of access for all.”

How to access NHS dental care

Anyone already registered with an NHS dental practice should contact their dentist directly for routine or emergency appointments.

For those without an NHS dentist:

• Urgent dental treatment: Visit the NHS 111 Wales website for more information.
• Routine dental treatment: Apply for a place online via the Dental Access Portal. Eligible applicants will be contacted when an appointment becomes available.

A NEW report from Audit Wales has exposed critical workforce challenges in NHS Wales, citing gaps in workforce planning, recruitment and retention difficulties, and ongoing reliance on temporary staff. Despite some progress in reducing agency spending and sickness absence rates, the healthcare system remains under strain, with concerns over leadership, data collection, and long-term sustainability.

Workforce planning shortcomings

Audit Wales identifies significant flaws in workforce data collection, making it difficult for NHS Wales to effectively plan for future demands. The lack of accurate, up-to-date data hinders efforts to address shortages and distribute resources efficiently.

The report also raises concerns over unclear national oversight, leading to inconsistent workforce planning across different health boards. There is no single entity fully accountable for ensuring a sustainable workforce, contributing to fragmented decision-making.

Persistent recruitment and retention struggles

Despite recruitment initiatives, NHS Wales continues to face staffing shortages, particularly in specialist medical fields and general practice. Doctors and nurses leave the profession due to stress, burnout, and lack of career progression opportunities. The retention crisis is worsening existing pressures on remaining staff, who are forced to work longer hours under increasingly challenging conditions.

Reliance on temporary staff still a concern

While NHS Wales has reduced its reliance on agency workers, the expenditure on temporary staff remains substantial, putting pressure on budgets. Health boards are still heavily dependent on locums and bank staff to fill gaps, leading to inconsistencies in patient care.

Audit Wales Report calls for “collective action”

Audit Wales has published a report today detailing the workforce challenges at the heart of the Welsh NHS, calling for “collective action”, highlighting a reliance on “expensive” agency staff to “plug gaps in the workforce”.

Auditor General for Wales, Adrian Crompton, stated that “the NHS in Wales continues to face significant workforce challenges” and that service demand “is expected to grow further”.

The report highlights over 5,600 vacancies in NHS Wales, with over 10% of medical and dental posts currently unfilled. While agency staff expenditure has decreased, it still cost the NHS £262 million in 2023-24. The growing workforce is welcome but comes at a financial cost, with NHS staffing costs rising by 62% since 2017-18, reaching £5.23 billion in 2023-24. The report raises concerns over whether continued workforce expansion is financially sustainable in the long term.

BMA Cymru Wales criticism

In response to the report, BMA Cymru Wales issued a statement on February 18, 2024, emphasizing that workforce gaps have been highlighted for over a decade, yet progress remains slow.

Dr Iona Collins, chair of the BMA’s Welsh Council, said: “Despite highlighting the need for an all-Wales workforce strategy, we have yet to see the necessary improvements in data collection to inform an appropriate long-term plan.”

The BMA argues that staff shortages contribute to delays in surgery and lengthening waiting lists, causing avoidable harm to patients. They also point out that Wales has fewer doctors per head of population compared to the rest of the UK, exacerbating service pressures.

Welsh Conservatives criticise Labour Government

Welsh Conservative James Evans MS has criticised the Welsh Labour Government for failing to bring forward a substantial workforce plan to meet the needs of the Welsh NHS and the public.

Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, James Evans MS, said: “The Welsh Labour Government have comprehensively failed to bring forward the substantial workforce plan that the Welsh NHS needs to serve the public.”

“Without proper planning, we remain stuck in a perpetual cycle of less money being available to repair the foundations of the NHS, because disproportionate funding is going towards costly agency staff.”

“Welsh Conservatives will bring forward the recruitment and retention plan needed to fix the Welsh NHS, because Wales deserves better than this Welsh Labour Government.”

Impact on patient care

The consequences of the workforce crisis are already affecting patient care, with reports of longer waiting times, postponed surgeries, and staff shortages in key areas. The current workforce struggles are leading to avoidable harm for patients, as well as knock-on effects on their families and employers.

Calls for immediate action

The Audit Wales report calls for a comprehensive, long-term workforce strategy to address these challenges. Recommendations include:

• Better workforce data collection and planning
• Stronger leadership and accountability at a national level
• More investment in training and retention strategies
• Reducing dependency on agency staff through improved workforce stability
• Developing a clear long-term educational and funding plan to ensure NHS Wales can retain the staff it trains
• Creating a sustainable workforce model for social care to better integrate services

The report highlights the lack of clarity over system leadership arrangements, making workforce planning even more challenging. Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) plays a key role, but its relationship with other NHS workforce organisations needs to be clarified. Workforce planning is also hindered by gaps in data and uncertainty about the future of health and care services.

With mounting pressures on NHS Wales, swift action is essential to prevent further deterioration in services. The Welsh Government is now under pressure to respond decisively to these findings and implement sustainable solutions to support the NHS workforce in the long term.