Charity sets out manifesto ahead of 2026 Senedd election, warning Wales cannot treat its way out of the mental health crisis

THE MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION has published its 2026 Senedd election manifesto, urging all political parties seeking to form the next Welsh Government to move beyond strategy documents and guarantee ring-fenced funding for mental health prevention.

The charity warns that Wales faces a deepening mental health crisis that cannot be solved by treatment and crisis response alone, arguing that sustained investment in prevention is essential if pressure on NHS services is to be reduced and longstanding inequalities addressed.

Strategy welcomed, but funding questioned

The Welsh Government published its Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2025–2035 earlier this year, setting out a ten-year vision for improving mental health outcomes and placing prevention and early intervention at the heart of future policy.

Launching the strategy, Mental Health and Wellbeing Minister Sarah Murphy MS said it marked a shift away from crisis-driven responses, with a stronger focus on tackling the wider causes of poor mental health and improving access to support before people reach breaking point.

However, the Mental Health Foundation says the strategy is not backed by a dedicated or transparent prevention budget, warning that without ring-fenced funding and clear accountability, commitments risk remaining aspirational rather than deliverable.

Mental health decline and rising pressures

Welsh Government wellbeing data shows that overall mental wellbeing has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, with particular concern around children and young people. Evidence also highlights persistent inequalities, with people living in more deprived communities experiencing significantly poorer mental health outcomes.

Public Health Wales has repeatedly raised concerns about rising levels of anxiety, distress and emotional difficulties among young people, alongside clear links to poverty, housing insecurity and wider social pressures.

The Mental Health Foundation argues that these trends underline the need for prevention-focused policies that address the root causes of poor mental health, rather than relying on overstretched clinical services to intervene once people reach crisis point.

‘Words alone won’t change lives’

Alexa Knight, Director of Policy and Influencing at the Mental Health Foundation, said Wales could not “treat its way out” of the crisis.

She said:
“Wales is gripped by a growing mental health crisis, and we cannot treat our way out of it. For too long, policy has focused on treatment and crisis response while neglecting prevention — the very thing that stops problems before they start.

“We welcome the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and its focus on prevention, but words alone won’t change lives. There is still no dedicated budget for prevention in Wales and no clear way to track spending or impact.

“The next Welsh Government must turn principle into practice with ring-fenced funding and clear accountability.”

Manifesto priorities

The Foundation’s Commitment to Prevention manifesto sets out five priorities for the next Welsh Government:

• prioritising prevention within overall mental health spending
• introducing a Welsh Child Payment to help tackle child poverty
• reaffirming Wales as a Nation of Sanctuary
• developing a dedicated approach to children and young people’s mental health
• addressing the wider social determinants of mental health, including housing, education and employment

The charity says these measures would not only improve wellbeing but reduce long-term costs by easing pressure on health and social care services and improving productivity.

A 2021 economic analysis estimated that poor mental health costs the Welsh economy more than £4.8 billion each year, through healthcare demand, lost productivity and wider social impacts.

Sector support for prevention focus

Health and third-sector organisations across Wales have broadly welcomed the Welsh Government’s emphasis on prevention, while cautioning that delivery will depend on long-term funding, workforce capacity and measurable outcomes.

Mental health charities and NHS bodies have consistently called for stronger coordination across housing, education, employment and community services, arguing that mental health outcomes cannot be improved through healthcare policy alone.

Election issue

With the 2026 Senedd election approaching, the Mental Health Foundation says mental health prevention must be a central political issue, backed by firm financial commitments rather than broad statements of intent.

Without decisive action, the charity warns, Wales risks continuing cycles of crisis care, rising waiting lists and widening inequality — outcomes it says are avoidable with early, sustained investment.

THE BADGER TRUST has published a new Cymru Badger Manifesto calling on candidates standing in the 2026 Senedd elections to commit to a science-led approach to bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and to maintain Wales’ current policy of not culling badgers.

The manifesto, released on Wednesday (Dec 10) as part of the charity’s Badgers Belong Here / Mae Moch Daear yn Perthyn Yma campaign, sets out the organisation’s position on badger protection, wildlife crime and bTB control, and urges politicians to reject calls for the reintroduction of culling in Wales.

Badger Trust argues that political decisions taken during the next Senedd term will be critical to the future of badgers, which it describes as culturally and ecologically significant to Wales. The charity says badgers have been present in Wales for more than 250,000 years and remain part of Welsh folklore, place names and rural identity.

Five key commitments

The manifesto outlines five commitments the charity is asking Senedd candidates to support, including defending what it describes as science-led policy on bTB, challenging misinformation in public debate, strengthening enforcement against wildlife crime, recognising badgers as part of Welsh heritage, and supporting local volunteer badger groups.

According to Badger Trust, 140 incidents of badger-related wildlife crime have been recorded in Wales since 2020, which it says highlights the need for improved reporting and enforcement.

The charity also points to the work of six active badger groups across Wales, which it says assist with rescuing injured animals, monitoring setts, recording road casualties and supporting local authorities.

bTB policy in Wales and England

Wales has not carried out widespread badger culling as part of its bTB control strategy, instead focusing on cattle testing, biosecurity measures and herd management.

Badger Trust claims that new herd incidents of bTB in Wales fell by more than 40% between 2010 and 2024, which it attributes to cattle-based controls rather than wildlife intervention.

The charity contrasts this with England, where it says almost 250,000 badgers have been culled over the past decade as part of bTB control programmes. It argues that bTB rates in England remain higher than in Wales and that the evidence does not show culling alone to be responsible for reductions in disease.

Disputed claims over culling

The manifesto challenges the frequently cited claim that badger culling in England led to a 56% reduction in bTB in cattle. Badger Trust says this figure has been misinterpreted and that studies cited in support of culling also involved additional measures such as enhanced cattle testing and biosecurity.

The charity points to statements from researchers and official correspondence which, it says, indicate that reductions in bTB cannot be attributed solely to culling.

Supporters of culling, including some farming groups, continue to argue that wildlife control should remain an option as part of a wider disease management strategy, particularly in areas with persistent infection. The Welsh Government has previously said it keeps its bTB policy under review in line with emerging evidence.

Call to candidates

Nigel Palmer, CEO of Badger Trust, said Wales demonstrated that bTB could be tackled without killing wildlife.

He said: “Wales is a world-leading example of how to address bovine TB through evidence-based policy. The progress made here shows that culling is not necessary, and we urge Senedd candidates to stand by the science.”

The manifesto is available in both Welsh and English and will be circulated to political parties and candidates ahead of the 2026 election.

NURSES and doctors from Wales’s leading health unions have warned that treating patients in hospital corridors is becoming increasingly routine, as concerns grow over patient safety and overcrowding – including at hospitals serving Pembrokeshire.

Representatives from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the British Medical Association (BMA) gathered at the Senedd on last week (Dec 10) ahead of a debate on so-called ‘corridor care’, where patients are treated in hallways, waiting areas or other unsuitable spaces due to a lack of beds.

The debate was prompted by a joint petition from the two unions calling on the Welsh Government to formally measure the scale of corridor care across Wales and take action to prevent it, including greater investment in community and social care. The petition attracted more than 10,000 signatures from across the country.

In Pembrokeshire, healthcare services are provided by Hywel Dda University Health Board, which runs Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest alongside hospitals in Carmarthen and Aberystwyth. The health board has repeatedly acknowledged sustained pressure on emergency departments, particularly during winter months, when demand rises and patient flow slows due to difficulties discharging patients into community care.

Union representatives say corridor care is increasingly being reported by frontline staff across Wales, including west Wales, and warn that it poses serious risks to patients.

A recent report by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimated there were more than 900 excess deaths in Wales last year associated with long waits in A&E.

Dr Manish Adke, chair of the BMA’s Welsh Consultants Committee, said the practice was deeply distressing for staff.

“As health professionals it is extremely distressing to see patients in unsafe, inappropriate spaces whilst they are at their most vulnerable,” he said.

“What’s worse is that this practice is becoming systematically normalised and that is completely unacceptable. It is not what we trained for, it’s not the care we want to give, and it is putting patients at risk of serious harm.

“Without an allocated bed space we cannot properly stabilise patients with fluids, antibiotics or invasive lines. This leads to poorer outcomes and increases the risk of death.”

Helen Whyley, Executive Director of RCN Wales, said nurses were doing their best in what she described as “dangerous and undignified” conditions.

“Hard-working nurses and healthcare professionals are caring for seriously ill patients in unacceptable conditions, adding stress for staff and patients alike,” she said.

“We are calling on the Welsh Government to work with us and the BMA on solutions, including improved care pathways and greater investment in frontline community services such as district nursing.”

The Welsh Government has previously acknowledged the pressures facing hospitals, particularly in rural areas such as west Wales, where an ageing population and difficulties recruiting staff add to the challenge. Ministers have said delayed hospital discharges – often linked to shortages in social care and community provision – are a major factor in bed shortages.

Hywel Dda University Health Board has also stated in recent updates that it is working to reduce pressure on emergency departments by improving patient flow, expanding same-day emergency care, and working with local authorities to speed up safe discharges.

However, unions argue that without sustained investment outside hospitals, including in social care and community nursing, the problem will persist.

The Welsh Government says it has invested additional funding into health and social care this year and maintains that eliminating corridor care entirely will require system-wide change rather than short-term fixes.

The Senedd debate is expected to hear contributions from across the political spectrum, with patient safety, dignity and winter pressures all likely to feature prominently.