Reflecting on the 2026-2030 Programme for Government
The Welsh Government recently published its Programme for Government, which sets its priorities for the four-year Senedd term ahead and provides a key framework against which delivery, progress and improvements can be measured.
Having been through the Programme in detail, I wanted to share my reflections on where it has the potential to improve older people’s lives, where further action is needed and how I will scrutinise delivery over the Senedd term.
I welcome many elements of the Programme, particularly its strong focus on prevention, supporting independence and improving people’s health and wellbeing. These priorities are crucial to enable people to live and age well, and ensure our public services are able to respond to the pressures and challenges they face.
Several commitments within the programme reflect calls for action I have made to the Welsh Government and if translated into meaningful action would make a real difference to older people. These include:
- Making progress towards the delivery of a National Care Service for Wales, alongside supporting people to live independently for longer and receive care closer to home.
- Developing an older people’s health plan as part of a new Public Health Strategy for Wales, including a focus on increasing healthy life expectancy.
- Improving housing quality and increasing social housing provision.
- Enabling earlier diagnosis, treatment and support for people living with dementia, underpinned by a new dementia strategy for Wales.
- Providing greater support for Unpaid Carers through a new National Strategy.
- Reforming policy and practice relating to adult safeguarding reform.
I also welcome the explicit commitment to retaining the concessionary bus pass for people aged 60+, which plays a crucial role in supporting older people’s independence.
These commitments provide a solid foundation and framework for action, and I will be closely monitoring and scrutinising the Welsh Government to ensure the ambitions within the Programme are translated into meaningful change and improvements for older people.
I will also press the Welsh Government for further action in a number of key areas which received less focus within the Programme, potentially leading to missed opportunities to respond to key issues that often impact upon older people.
For example, the Programme does not reference digital inclusion, accessible and adaptable housing, or age-friendly communities – all of which play an important role in supporting older people to remain healthy, independent and connected.
Furthermore, there is no reference to the impact of poverty on older people or cost-of-living challenges many individuals are now facing in later life, or to loneliness and social isolation. We know that these issues have a significant impact on older people’s health, wellbeing and independence, as well as creating pressures on public services, so it is crucial that the Government takes action to respond to these effectively.
More broadly, it was striking that the Programme made only limited references to older people and the particular issues they may face despite the significant demographic shifts Wales will see in the coming years and the implications these will have for public services, communities and the economy.
Without this recognition, there is a risk that policy decisions will overlook the inequalities experienced by older people, including those whose experiences are shaped by disability, ethnicity, poverty, caring responsibilities or other protected characteristics.
Older people must be seen as more than just users of health, care and other public services. Instead, their lived experiences, contributions and aspirations must be used to shape policy and practice, so that decisions reflect the reality of later life and the opportunities of an ageing society.
This will support a more strategic, evidence-led and person-centred approach, which will be crucial to ensure our public services and communities are not only prepared to respond to demographic change, but can also support people to have a good quality of life. Age-friendly communities have a crucial role to play here, providing a practical framework for reducing inequalities, strengthening community connections and supporting people to remain independent for longer.
As highlighted above, the ambitions within the Programme for Government focused on prevention, healthy life expectancy, community wellbeing and sustainable public services are welcome, but it is important to recognise that they will only realistically be achieved through greater recognition of older people and our ageing society.
That’s why, as Commissioner, I will continue to ensure that older people’s voices and experiences are at the heart of discussions and decisions as the Programme moves forward, so that the policies and services that shape Wales’s future reflect the realities of older people’s lives and support everyone to live and age well.
