Plans to make it easier for people across Wales to access social care, receive same-day mental health support and improve services for women have been outlined by the Welsh Government.

Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health, Delyth Jewell, set out her priorities, which include progressing a National Care Service for Wales, strengthening safeguarding arrangements and transforming the way mental health support is delivered.

The Welsh Government says it wants to move towards a model where people can access mental health support on the same day they need it, rather than facing lengthy waits. Twenty-one demonstrator sites are already testing the new approach, with plans to roll it out more widely.

For North Wales, the changes could help improve access to community-based mental health services, reducing pressure on hospitals and ensuring people receive support closer to home. The region is served by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which provides mental health, learning disability and community services across Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Anglesey and Wrexham.

The Deputy Minister also pledged to improve support for people with learning disabilities and neurodivergent conditions through stronger community services.

Work is also continuing on a new Dementia Strategy for Wales, which will focus on brain health, earlier diagnosis and improving support for people living with dementia and their families.

Women’s health is another key priority. A Women’s Health Summit later this month will bring together women with lived experience and healthcare professionals to discuss issues including the normalisation of pain. The Welsh Government says it is also working to improve endometriosis care, abortion services and maternity safety, as well as support for families who experience the loss of a baby.

On social care, ministers have reaffirmed their ambition to develop a National Care Service for Wales, with the long-term aim of creating a system that is free at the point of need, while also strengthening safeguarding arrangements to better protect children and adults at risk.

Speaking about her priorities, Delyth Jewell said she wanted to bring greater attention to areas that have “too often been undervalued”, adding that mental health, women’s health and social care “deserve a voice in the heart of government.”

The announcements build on ongoing efforts to strengthen health and care services across Wales, although the Welsh Government has not yet set out a timetable for the wider rollout of many of the proposed changes.