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.

CALLS to convert two former agricultural barns in Pembrokeshire from holiday accommodation to residential have been given the go-ahead by the national park.

In two related applications to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Daniel Start, of Freshford, Bath, sought permission for changes of use of East Barn and West Barns, Binchurn Farm, near Square and Compass, Trefin.

Local community council Llanrhian supported the East Barn and West Barn schemes, but, in the case of the former, noted: “The council is in favour of this application, but some councillors have concerns that, without a compelling reason to justify the change, this application might set a precedent for other conversions to revert to full residential use.”

Officer reports recommending approval for both schemes said both the former outbuildings were granted permission for conversion to holiday accommodation back in 2011, “with occupancy restricted by condition to prevent use as a person’s sole or main residence,” adding: “The principle of conversion was therefore accepted only in the context of holiday accommodation and not unrestricted residential use. The site lies within the open countryside of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, where new residential development is strictly controlled.”

Of the two schemes it added: “While the buildings historically formed part of the wider farm complex, it is noted that the barns are now in separate ownership from the original farmhouse, which itself appears to comprise two separate residential units.

“As a result of this separate ownership, the barns function independently from the farmhouse and there is no longer a single controlling agricultural unit. This increases the likelihood of the external areas being treated as self-contained residential curtilage, particularly if the barns are permitted unrestricted residential occupation. The site forms part of a traditional farmstead group within the open countryside, where the sense of openness and agricultural character contributes positively to the special qualities of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

“While the proposal does not involve physical alterations to the buildings, the change from holiday use to permanent residential occupation increases the potential for domestication of external areas through the introduction of defined residential curtilage, suburban boundary treatments and domestic paraphernalia.”

Both reports say policy seeks an affordable housing contribution of 35 per cent for new properties in the St Davids and North Coast area, adding: “As on-site provision is not feasible in this instance, the policy requires a commuted sum towards off-site affordable housing provision.”

Both applications were conditionally approved by park planners.