Concerns over workforce pressures, social care and long waits resonate strongly in Pembrokeshire

The health of the nation must be placed at the heart of the next Welsh Government’s agenda, NHS leaders have warned, as the countdown to the Senedd election reaches 100 days.

With health and the NHS consistently ranked among the public’s top priorities, NHS leaders across Wales are urging all political parties to commit to five major changes aimed at improving population health and securing the long-term sustainability of health and social care services.

The call comes from the Welsh NHS Confederation, which represents senior NHS leaders across the country. It is urging parties to set out clear and credible plans in their election manifestos, warning that without decisive action, existing pressures will continue to intensify.

The issues highlighted are already familiar to many communities in Pembrokeshire, where residents regularly raise concerns about access to GP appointments, pressure on hospital services at Withybush, delayed discharges linked to social care shortages, and workforce recruitment challenges across health and care settings.

At the top of NHS leaders’ priorities is the creation of a cross-government strategy on prevention, aimed at tackling health inequalities and reducing avoidable ill health. They argue that without joined-up action across areas such as housing, education, transport and social services, the NHS will remain locked into responding to crisis rather than preventing it.

Other priorities include strengthening the health and social care workforce, creating joint financial and performance frameworks to support better integration between services, stabilising the social care sector, and developing a long-term strategy for NHS estates and infrastructure — including digital transformation.

The recommendations follow a survey of 95 NHS leaders from across Wales, reflecting both the immediate pressures facing frontline services and the longer-term challenges expected to worsen over the coming years.

Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said the organisation was urging all political parties to take the five priorities seriously as polling day approaches.

He said the proposals were grounded in the lived experience of those working at the heart of the health and care system.

“Unless there is a cross-government plan to reduce inequalities and preventable ill health, the NHS and care sectors will merely be working harder to stand still, consuming an ever-increasing slice of the new Welsh Government’s money,” he said.

Mr Hughes warned that demographic change was already driving demand sharply upwards, with Wales’ population becoming older, frailer and living with more complex long-term conditions — trends that are particularly evident in rural and coastal counties such as Pembrokeshire.

“Our population is getting older, frailer and sicker with ever increasing demand for services, including more people with multiple long-term conditions needing more complex care,” he said.

He added that data showed worsening population health and demographic change would continue to push demand higher, even as NHS organisations are required to deliver significant efficiencies simply to maintain current service levels.

The Confederation also cautioned against viewing NHS pressures in isolation, such as long waits for appointments or treatment, noting that these are symptoms of wider, whole-system challenges spanning health and social care.

“So often issues are looked at in isolation,” Mr Hughes said. “But these pressures are symptoms of wider, whole-system challenges. Without bold, long-term action across government, the NHS and social care will struggle to keep pace with the needs of the people of Wales.”

With just over three months until voters go to the polls, NHS leaders say the decisions taken by the next Welsh Government will be critical — not only for the future of the NHS, but for communities like Pembrokeshire where health, social care and local services are deeply interconnected.

Industry leaders warn of closures and job losses as pressure mounts on ministers to pass on funding

PUBS across Wales are facing a widening financial gap with England after the UK Government announced increased business rates support south of the border, prompting renewed calls for the Senedd to intervene to protect a sector described as a social lifeline for communities.

The warning came from the Welsh Beer & Pub Association (WBPA) following the Chancellor’s announcement of enhanced business rates relief for pubs in England — a move the industry says will deepen an already significant disparity between the two nations.

The WBPA said that while Welsh pubs benefited from Covid-era support, more recent measures have failed to keep pace with England, leaving many operators struggling to cope with rising costs and higher rates bills.

A spokesperson for the association said the exclusion of pubs from newer retail-focused relief schemes is already having a damaging impact across Wales.

“Without further action, many pubs will struggle to keep their doors open,” the spokesperson said, warning of further closures, job losses and the erosion of vital community spaces.

Growing concern among Welsh businesses

Concerns over business rates have also been echoed directly by Welsh businesses themselves, with more than 100 companies attending a recent meeting organised by Sam Kurtz MS to discuss the impact of revaluation and the future of business rates support in Wales.

The meeting brought together pubs, hospitality operators, tourism businesses and other small firms, many of whom warned they were facing sharp increases in their rates bills and feared the changes could make their businesses unviable.

Mr Kurtz told the Senedd that business owners were “worried, frustrated and angry,” with some reporting potential increases running into tens of thousands of pounds.

He said the strength of feeling at the meeting showed the scale of concern across the Welsh economy and urged ministers to act before irreversible damage is done to local businesses and high streets.

Political pressure inside the Senedd

The issue has been raised repeatedly in the Senedd in the run-up to this week’s budget debates, with opposition members warning that Welsh pubs are being placed at a competitive disadvantage compared with those in England.

Conservative MSs have highlighted the risks to tourism and hospitality in rural and coastal areas, while Plaid Cymru has pressed ministers to confirm whether any additional funding flowing to Wales as a result of UK Government decisions will be passed directly to support community pubs.

During recent plenary sessions, the First Minister acknowledged the importance of pubs to Welsh communities but defended the Welsh Government’s record, pointing to more than £1bn spent on business rates support for retail, leisure and hospitality businesses since 2020.

Ministers have said they are still assessing the full details of the UK Government’s announcement and its financial implications for Wales before setting out a response.

Budget reforms and industry warnings

The debate comes against the backdrop of wider changes to the non-domestic rates system in Wales as part of the Welsh Government’s final budget plans.

While ministers argue that reforms such as adjusted multipliers and transitional relief will help smooth the impact of revaluation, hospitality groups say pubs are not receiving the targeted protection they need.

Industry bodies warn that Welsh pubs were already facing significantly higher business rates bills than counterparts in England, and that the latest English relief package will now widen that gap further.

The WBPA said the Senedd will receive additional funding as a result of the UK Government’s decision and urged ministers to ensure it is passed on in full — and enhanced — to protect pubs, jobs and local economies.

A test of priorities

The association said the issue now represents a clear test of priorities for the Welsh Government.

“Pubs are central to Wales’s social and economic fabric,” the spokesperson said. “If this funding is not passed on, we risk losing businesses that communities rely on and livelihoods that cannot easily be replaced.”

With budget decisions imminent, pressure is mounting on ministers to match — or exceed — the support being offered in England, as the future of many Welsh pubs hangs in the balance.

DYFED-POWYS POLICE is holding a four-week Firearms Amnesty for five types of BRUNI-manufactured side/top-venting blank firers (TVBFs) which are now illegal to possess following testing by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and policing.

The amnesty will take place between 2 and 27 February, after which anyone in possession of one of the specified TVBFs could be subject to prosecution and up to 10 years imprisonment. 

Tests by the National Crime Agency have shown that five specific types of top-venting blank firearms are readily convertible and therefore illegal.

Side/top-venting blank firers are legal to buy in the UK without a licence by over 18s unless they are readily convertible. Tests by the NCA and policing have shown that the following BRUNI models are readily convertible and are therefore illegal:

• 8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model 92 blank firing self-loading pistol
• 8mm PAK Bruni BBM New Police blank firing self-loading pistol
• 8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model 96 blank firing self-loading pistol
• 8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model ‘GAP’ blank firing self-loading pistol
• .380R (9mmK) PAK Bruni BBM ME Ranger single-action blank firing revolver

The amnesty will provide owners an opportunity to hand in TVBFs at police stations around Dyfed and Powys.

The locations in Dyfed-Powys are:

• Carmarthenshire: Ammanford, Carmarthen and Llanelli
• Pembrokeshire: Haverfordwest
• Ceredigion: Aberystwyth and Cardigan
• Powys: Brecon, Llandrindod Wells and Newtown

You can visit the stations between the hours of 8am-4pm Monday to Friday.

To ensure safety when transporting a TVBF, please:

• Place the item in a bag or box to keep it out of public sight.
• Make a specific journey solely for this purpose to minimise the time spent in public.
• Upon arrival, inform the staff at the front counter that you are there to hand in a firearm before presenting it to them.

The police are asking people to hand in any TVBFs before February 27 in order to avoid prosecution and to prevent these pistols getting into the wrong hands.

Many TVBFs may be held in innocence and ignorance of their illegality or may be overlooked or forgotten in people’s homes. The amnesty gives holders the chance to dispose of the TVBFs safely by taking it to one of the local police stations listed above and handing it in.

During the amnesty period, those handing in one of the five identified BRUNI TVBFs will not face prosecution for the illegal possession and they can remain anonymous.

Dyfed-Powys Police Sergeant Haydon Mathias said: “Gun crime in the Dyfed-Powys area remains very rare but we are not complacent about it, which is why we are supporting the national BRUNI TVBF firearms amnesty.

“Surrendering these weapons now will help prevent them getting into the wrong hands in the future and being used by criminals, so we want as many top-venting blank firers as possible to be handed in.”

If you cannot travel to one of the locations during the amnesty, you can call us on 101, where we can discuss this with you to ensure you can take part.  

If you are ever in doubt, we urge you to make contact with us for advice.