Professional Standards Authority releases "Safer Care for Wales – manifesto for change"
The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) in the United Kingdom has called on political parties vying to lead the next Welsh Government to prioritize closing gaps in patient safety ahead of the 7 May 2026 Senedd election, saying rising workloads and workforce changes are creating risks across health and social care. In its Safer Care for Wales – manifesto for change, the PSA urged action on three fronts: developing a stronger regulatory strategy to manage safety risks associated with workforce planning, extending Wales’s local authority licensing scheme for special procedures to cover non-surgical cosmetic services to better protect the public, and working with the UK Government to modernize regulation so it emphasizes harm prevention as well as response. The body noted recent positive sector initiatives but said outcomes and access in NHS Wales still lag many European counterparts and called for greater safeguards and proactive regulation to improve public protection and patient outcomes.