47 health & care organisations call on Welsh Government to address poverty inequalities

A coalition of 47 health and care organisations has written to Welsh Government cabinet secretaries and ministers, urging them to prioritise a cross-governmental plan to tackle poverty and inequalities across Wales.

With some of the highest poverty rates in the UK, the organisations argue that immediate, coordinated action is necessary to prevent further worsening of health outcomes.

Wales currently faces alarming levels of poverty, with 29% of children and 21% of working-aged people living in poverty.

This, they argue, is driving health inequalities across the nation.

The call for action comes after a previous appeal made in April 2023, which, despite the urgency, has resulted in limited progress.

The organisations have again united to push for a comprehensive, joined-up delivery plan that includes clear targets, milestones, and timelines.

The goal is to ensure that every Welsh government department works together to combat poverty and deprivation, which disproportionately affects the most vulnerable in society.

Dr Nick Wilkinson, the Wales Officer for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, emphasised the detrimental effect poverty has on children.

“Across the child health workforce, we see the harsh impact of child poverty and inequalities in our clinical interactions every day. It’s in the impact of poor-quality housing, limited access to nutritious food, low school attendance, rising mental health concerns and social isolation.”

Dr Wilkinson stressed that the consequences of poverty on children’s health are not inevitable, but that only decisive action from the government can reverse this trend.

“We need to see a cross-governmental national delivery plan that will reverse the accelerating impact of poverty and inequalities on health outcomes, for the good of all our children in Wales, and our future society.”

This call for change is echoed by Nesta Lloyd-Jones, Assistant Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, who highlighted the broader social factors that influence health.

“The wider determinants of health – fair work, housing, transport, access to green spaces, leisure, and the arts – are all essential to our health and wellbeing. In such economically challenging times, budgets impacting the wider determinants of health become more squeezed.”

Ms Lloyd-Jones warned that unless government departments work together through long-term planning, poverty and inequalities will continue to put immense pressure on already overstretched health services.

The Welsh NHS Confederation and other organisations have pledged to work collaboratively with the government to tackle these challenges.

Dr Claire Campbell, Vice Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners Cymru Wales, further underlined the role that all government departments must play in addressing inequality.

“A patient often is impacted by inequality across a whole range of aspects of their life by the time they see their GP. Every government department has its part to play in delivering better health outcomes. We are all in this together.”

Call for Immediate Action

The letter, backed by organisations including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Royal College of General Practitioners, Samaritans Cymru, Stroke Association Cymru, and Marie Curie Cymru, among others, represents a united front among professionals and charities seeking urgent government action.

The coalition is calling for a national delivery plan that sets out specific strategies for each department to address the broader social factors contributing to health inequalities.

The organisations argue that addressing poverty is critical not only to improving health outcomes but also to reducing the long-term burden on public services, particularly in healthcare.

They point out that the cost of inaction will likely be felt across generations.