The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) says closing safety gaps must be a priority for the next Welsh Government as 87% of GPs report fearing that rising workloads could impact patient safety.
In its Safer Care for Wales – manifesto for change the PSA – the UK’s healthcare regulation oversight body – urges those seeking office at the 2026 Senedd election on 7 May 2026 to focus on three areas for improving health and social care services.
These are:
- Tackling the health and care workforce crisis by developing a robust regulatory strategy to help manage any safety risks from workforce changes and support the successful delivery of the workforce plan for Wales.
- Closing the safety gaps by extending the local authority licensing scheme for special procedures to include non-surgical cosmetics. This will help avoid ‘cosmetic tourism’ by aligning more closely with protections in England and Scotland.
- Modernising regulation by working with the UK Government to fast-track the professional regulation reform programme. This will allow regulators to support a preventative approach which helps avoid harm, not just address it after it has occurred.
PSA said that over the past few years there has been positive action within the Welsh health and care sector with the introduction of the UK allied health professional strategic framework and the Innovation Delivery Plan. However, it added that NHS Wales still has comparatively poor outcomes, access measures and population health in comparison to many other European countries.
Alan Clamp, PSA Chief Executive, said:
“While Wales, as in the rest of the UK, faces health and care sector challenges on numerous fronts, it is vital to focus on addressing safety gaps.
“We urge all political parties to prioritise action to improve public protection when workforce changes are made by adopting a clear method for deciding how to manage risks, including from new roles.
“Also important is putting more safeguards in place around non-surgical cosmetic procedures to protect people from harm.”
