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Closing safety gaps must be a priority for next Welsh Government says healthcare regulation watchdog
18 Feb 2026
With 87% of GPs reporting that they fear their rising workloads could impact patient safety, the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) says closing the safety gaps must be a priority for the next Welsh Government.
In its Safer Care for Wales - manifesto for change released today, 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 in the country. 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.
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, 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.”
ENDS
Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care
Contact: media@professionalstandards.org.uk
Notes to the editor
- Safer Care for Wales - manifesto for change, published on 18 February, sets out the PSA’s health and social care priorities for political parties ahead of the Senedd election on 7 May 2026.
- The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) is the UK’s oversight body for the regulation of people working in health and social care. Our statutory remit, independence and expertise underpin our commitment to the safety of patients and service-users, and to the protection of the public. There are 10 organisations that regulate health professionals in the UK and social workers in England by law. We audit their performance and review their decisions on practitioners’ fitness to practise. We also accredit and set standards for organisations holding registers of health and care practitioners not regulated by law. We collaborate with all of these organisations to improve standards. We share good practice, knowledge and our right-touch regulation expertise.
- We also conduct and promote research on regulation. We monitor policy developments in the UK and internationally, providing guidance to governments and stakeholders. Through our UK and international consultancy, we share our expertise and broaden our regulatory insights.
- Our values are – integrity, transparency, respect, fairness and teamwork – and we strive to ensure that they are at the core of our work.