Consultation on the (draft) Partnership Arrangements (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2024

This consultation seeks views on a draft set of regulations, The Partnership Arrangements (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2024. These amend the following three sets of Regulations:

• The Partnership Arrangements (Wales) Regulations 2015
• The Care and Support (Area Planning) (Wales) Regulations 2017
• The Partnership Arrangements (Amendment) and Regulated Services (Market Stability Reports) (Wales) Regulations 2021

The aim of these amendments is to clarify and strengthen regional partnership arrangements under Part 9 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 (‘the act’), and particularly the role and functions of the Regional Partnership Boards (RPBs).

Strengthening regional partnerships is a key element of the Welsh Government’s balancing care and support programme.

Background

The Welsh Government published a Welsh Government White Paper on rebalancing care and support for consultation in 2021. This defined ‘rebalancing’ in terms of the change we want to see in the way care and support and preventative services are delivered under the act.

Rebalancing means…

• …away from complexity, towards simplification
• away from price, towards quality and social value
• away from reactive commissioning, towards managing the market
• away from task-based practice, towards an outcome-based practice
• away from an organisational focus, towards more effective partnership…

...to co-produce better outcomes with people.

Following the White Paper consultation the deputy minister for social services set out the next steps in a written statement in October 2021. These are being taken forward through the rebalancing care and support programme. Delivery of the programme falls within three main areas: 

• creation of a national framework for the commissioning of care and support in Wales, which commissioners would be bound by at local, regional and national level, and which sets standards for commissioning practice, reducing complexity and rebalancing commissioning to focus on quality and outcomes 
• creation of a National Office for Care and Support to oversee implementation of the national framework
• strengthening regional partnership board arrangements so joint working delivers for local populations, supporting stronger partnership working and integration of services, and preparing a path for further development of these key partnerships in the future

To support work on the RPB arrangements we set up five stakeholder task and finish groups focusing on the following areas: 

• integrated services
• planning and performance
• governance and scrutiny
• engagement and voice
• rebalancing the social care market

Further consultation on the various elements of the rebalancing care and support programme took place between 22 May and 14 August 2023. This included two consultation events. The results of this consultation can be found on our rebalancing care and support consultation outcome page here.

Subsequently, a new code of practice on the national framework was laid before the Senedd on 19 March 2024, along with a revised version of the part 2 code of practice on general functions. These are due to come into force on 1 September 2024. The National Office for Care and Support, which will oversee implementation of the national framework, comes into being on 1 April 2024.

The Partnership Arrangements (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2024

Detailed proposals to amend the Partnership Arrangements (Wales) Regulations 2015 (‘the 2015 regulations’) were included in the rebalancing care and support consultation in the summer 2023, along with a revised and updated version of the statutory guidance on partnership arrangements. Also included were proposals for amendments to the Care and Support (Area Planning) (Wales) Regulations 2017.

The 2023 consultation set out our intention to amend these regulations. This current consultation seeks views on a draft set of regulations, which set out the proposed amendments and incorporate changes made in response to feedback on our initial proposals. Further changes will also be made to the statutory guidance, to reflect the final form of the regulations and in response to suggestions made during the 2023 consultation.

We have also taken this opportunity to make minor amendments to the Partnership Arrangements (Amendment) and Regulated Services (Market Stability Reports) (Wales) Regulations 2021, with respect to the timing of market stability reports. These amendments were discussed with stakeholders during the consultation events.

Following this current consultation, we will make any further changes that are necessary before laying the draft regulations and the revised statutory guidance before the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) in the autumn. It is intended that the new regulations and the statutory guidance will come into force on 31 December 2024.

Welsh language

All products within this consultation have been prepared in the context of the Welsh language standards and the more than just words strategic framework.

When people are receiving or trying to access care, it is usually when they are at their most vulnerable, so being confident in their own language is important. Wales is a bilingual country where the Welsh language has official status. Legally binding Welsh language standards have been placed on health and social care bodies to ensure that the Welsh language is treated no less favourably than the English. These standards complement more than just words which is our plan to strengthen Welsh language services in health and social care. At the core of more than just words is the principle of “the Active offer” which places a responsibility on health and social care providers to offer services in Welsh, rather than the patient / service user to have to request them. Our vision for more than just words is for Cymraeg to belong and be embedded in health and social care services across Wales so that individuals receive care that meet their language needs, leading to better outcomes, without having to ask for it.

Amendments to the Partnership Arrangements (Wales) Regulations 2015

Part 9 of the act makes provision for partnership arrangements between local authorities and health boards for the discharge of their functions, including partnership boards. The purpose of part 9 is to ensure key partners work together effectively to improve the health and well-being outcomes of people, as well as improving the efficiency and effectiveness of integrated service delivery.

The 2015 regulations were made under sections 166 to 168 of the act. They set out the requirements for each health board and the local authorities within its area to take part in partnership arrangements for carrying out specified health and social services functions. The 2015 regulations also make provision for the operation and management of partnership arrangements, the establishment of RPBs, and the establishment and maintenance and pooled funds.

Regional partnership arrangements have evolved considerably in recent years, and the RPBs have become an important forum for promoting greater regional working and integration across health and social care. A key aim of our rebalancing care and support programme has been to strengthen these arrangements and enhance the role of the boards.

Our proposed amendments to the 2015 regulations are designed to enable the RPBs to function more effectively within the evolving landscape of integrated service planning and delivery.

The RPBs are not corporate legal entities (in the way that the local health boards are, for example), and this places limits on both their functions and how they carry them out. Feedback from the White Paper consultation showed limited support, particularly from the partnership bodies, for proposals to change RPBs’ legal status. However, as the partnerships have evolved and matured, it has become clear that the current legal framework is too limited to enable the RPBs to fulfil their full potential as drivers for real change, and that amendments to the 2015 regulations will be necessary to strengthen and empower the RPBs so that they can have effective oversight of the partnership arrangements. The amendments cover the objectives of RPBs, their membership and preparation of their annual reports, as well as new provisions relating to self-assessment and annual plans. They do not change the legal status of RPBs but work within the current legal framework set out in Part 9 of the act.

Below is a brief description of the key provisions in the draft regulations.

Regulation 4

Objectives of RPBs

Regulation 4 is intended to augment and extend the objectives of an RPB in order to strengthen the board’s oversight of the partnership arrangements within its region. It amends and adds to the RPB objectives set out in regulation 10 of the 2015 regulations.

The current objectives of RPBs are:

• ensuring that the partnership bodies work effectively together to respond to the population needs assessment and implement the joint area plan
• ensuring the partnership bodies provide sufficient resources for the partnership arrangements
• promoting joint commissioning and the establishment of pooled funds where appropriate

Regulation 4 adds that the objectives of an RPB also include ensuring that the partnership bodies work effectively together to:

• respond to the market stability report which local authorities are required to prepare and publish under section 144B of the act
• give due regard to a local authority’s duty under section 16 of the act to promote social enterprises, co-operatives, user-led services and the third sector when responding to a market stability report, or when implementing an area plan / joint area plan
• promote the development of integrated health and social services arrangements

Market stability reports are produced on regional basis in partnership with the health boards, and together with the population needs assessment they provide evidence that should be taken into account in drawing up the joint area plan. Adding an objective that the RPBs ensure the partnership bodies are working effectively together to respond to the market stability report should strengthen the RPBs in their role of holding the partnership bodies to account with respect to strategic commissioning and planning.

Local authorities have a duty under section 16 of the act to promote social enterprises, co-operatives, user-led services and the third sector. This falls within the list of local authority functions to be carried out by partnership arrangements under schedule 1 of the 2015 regulations. Adding scrutiny of the exercise of this duty, within the context of the partnership arrangements, to the objectives of RPBs will further strengthen a regional partnership approach to rebalancing the social care market through the promotion of these models and approaches. It will also help support the regional forums which local authorities must set up under the part 2 code of practice (general functions).

The addition of a new objective around the promotion of integration is intended to allow the RPBs to have greater impact in driving forward an integrated community care system for Wales. In particular it will enable us to write into the part 9 statutory guidance a requirement for RPBs to help develop and embed the six national integrated models of care which underpin project-funded activity under the Regional Integration Fund. The revised statutory guidance contains a new definition of integration and how integration is achieved though health, social care and wellbeing services working together at three levels: the macro (strategic and system focused), meso (organisational / service level integration), and micro (delivery of integrated care and support for the individual); and the interconnection between the three levels. The statutory guidance also provides an outline ‘blueprint’ for an integrated health and care system and describes our intention to set standards for integration against which regulators will be able to inspect services in the future.

Regulation 4 also adds that the objectives of an RPB include:

• monitoring the exercise of a local authority’s duty under section 12 of the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 in relation to the partnership arrangements
• working with the citizen voice body to promote the involvement of people who need care and support (or support) and carers in the work of the partnership arrangements

In recent years the RPBs have had an increasing focus on integrated care and support for children and young people, and an increasing emphasis on engagement with children and young people. Local authorities already have a duty under section 12 of the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 to make such arrangements as they consider suitable to promote and facilitate the participation by children and young people in decisions made by local authorities which might affect them. This draft regulation would give RPBs an objective to monitor the exercise of this duty in relation to the partnership arrangements. To allow this, draft regulation 8 (below) adds section 12 to schedule 1 of the 2015 regulations, which lists the local authority functions that are to be exercised in partnership.
  
From April 2023, a new citizen voice body (known as Llais) has represented the voices and opinions of the people of Wales in respect of health and social care services. Llais is independent of government, the NHS and local authorities but works with them and others to support the continuous improvement of person-centred services. Llais is well placed to assist the partnership bodies and RPBs engage more effectively with citizens, including those who need care and support, and carers, in the work of the regional partnerships. Llais will also have independent observer status on the RPBs (see draft Regulation 5 below).

Regulation 5

Membership of RPBs

Regulation 5 adds to the list of members of RPBs set out in regulation 11 of the 2015 regulations, and makes provision for independent observer members.

The 2015 regulations contain a list of the required membership of RPBs. They also allow RPBs to co-opt other people as members as they think appropriate, and allow the partnership bodies to pay remuneration and allowances to board members. Draft regulation 5 adds the following to the list of required members of an RPB:

• a representative of the Wales Ambulance Services Trust
• at least one person to represent the interests of primary care providers in the area covered by the RPB
• at least one person to represent the interests of workers who provide health or social care services within the area covered by the RPB
• at least one person to represent the county voluntary councils which represent the area covered by the RPB

The membership of RPBs reflects the multi-sector nature of the regional partnership. As well as representatives from the partnership bodies and other public bodies, RPBs include members who are ordinary citizens (service users and unpaid carers) and those who represent third sector organisations, care providers and the housing sector. In the revised part 9 statutory guidance we have sought to clarify the role of all board members, grouping them into three distinct perspectives:

• lived experience partners
• service delivery partners
• strategic commissioning partners

The Wales Ambulance Services Trust is already co-opted on to most RPBs, so this amendment formalises this membership. Adding primary care providers to the list should help increase alignment and engagement between the work of the RPB, clusters and pan-cluster planning groups. The addition of the county voluntary councils will help bolster the third sector presence on RPBs, which must already include as members at least two persons to represent the interests of third sector organisations within their region.

During the 2023 consultation we received representations from the Wales TUC, trade unions and professional bodies that RPB membership should include the voice of workers who provide health or social care services, alongside the voice of service users, unpaid carers, the third sector and provider organisations. Although RPBs are not captured by the social partnership duty in the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act 2023, the Welsh Ministers commitment to social partnership is not limited to that act, and given that the partnership bodies are bound by the duty it seems appropriate for the health and social care workforce to have a voice around the RPB table. Ministers have therefore decided to add a new requirement for the RPBs to have at least one member who can represent the worker voice. During the consultation period we will discuss with the RPBs, the Wales TUC and relevant trade unions, how this would work in practice, given the diversity of the health and social care workforce and the fact that the RPBs are already large boards. Further guidelines would then be included in the revised part 9 statutory guidance.

In addition, draft regulation 5 requires an RPB to invite a representative from the citizen voice body (Llais) to be an independent observer member of the board, and gives the RPB the power to invite other persons to be independent observer members of the board as it thinks appropriate. The draft regulation also defines an independent observer member as one who is not eligible to vote in any proceedings of the board and who must not be counted in the quorum for a meeting of the board. This is to safeguard the role of Llais as an independent voice for citizens, whilst allowing its representatives to comment upon and take a full part in discussions around the board table. The draft regulation recognises that there may also be other bodies now or in the future which RPBs wish to invite as independent observers. As they are members (albeit independent observer members with no voting rights), the RPB will have the power to pay its independent observers members remuneration and allowances as with other members.

Regulation 6

Draft regulation 6 deals with a number of issues, including the nomination by partnership bodies of a responsible person for leading and ensuring co-operation in the partnership arrangements; various administrative functions of RPBs aimed at better supporting members; and biennial self-assessments. These are inserted into the 2015 regulations as new regulations 11A, B and C.

Responsible persons

Draft regulation 6 requires each partnership body to appoint a responsible person to facilitate the partnership arrangements and promote co-operation between the partnership body, each of the other partnership bodies within the partnership arrangement, and the RPB. It specifies that a local authority must appoint the director of social services to this role; and that a health board must appoint to the role the executive member who is appointed as a member of the RPB. The draft regulation sets out the role of the responsible person as encouraging co-operation and partnership working within the partnership body; taking the lead in promoting the partnership body’s contribution to meeting the RPB’s objectives; and reporting back on the work of the RPB to the cabinet or board of their partnership body.

Directors of social services, and the health board executive member who sits on the RPB, will in most cases already be doing this, but the purpose of the new draft Regulation is to ‘hard wire’ these arrangements into the RPB.

Administrative functions of RPBs

Draft regulation 6 also introduces new administrative requirements on RPBs in relation to roles, recruitment and support for members. In particular, the RPB must:

• publish descriptions of the role and responsibilities for each of the categories of member of the board (as set out in regulation 11 of the 2015 regulations)
• establish and publicise the procedure for recruiting members of the board who represent the interests of service users and unpaid carers
• provide support and guidance to support members of the board, in particular those members who represent the interests of service users, unpaid carers and third sector organisations

These provisions have been added to the 2015 regulations primarily to clarify and support the role of citizen members on the RPBs, particularly those with lived experience as service users or unpaid carers, and the members who represent the third sector. These new draft regulations provide a hook for expanded guidance on how RPB members should be recruited and supported, as set out in the revised part 9 statutory guidance. This was a key recommendation of the Engagement and Voice Task and Finish Group.

Self-assessment

Draft regulation 6 also requires RPBs to undertake a biennial self-assessment in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the performance of the board in fulfilling its objectives. The first of these self-assessments must take place by 1 April 2026, and biennially thereafter, with a review each intermediate year (that is beginning on 1 April 2027 and biennially thereafter). The RPB must publish a summary of the results of the self-assessment or the review in its annual report.

This draft regulation reflects work that has already been undertaken with RPBs to co-design and pilot a self-assessment tool, which is currently being rolled out across the RPBs. Application of this tool will provide a baseline for the future statutory self-assessments from 1 April 2026 onwards.

Regulation 7

Reports

Regulation 7 inserts new provision into regulation 12 of the 2015 regulations, which requires RPBs to produce annual reports. The new provision in paragraph (4) specifies the information that RPBs must include in their annual reports. The draft regulation also specifies that annual reports must be published on the partnership bodies’ websites. The requirement to submit these annual reports to the Welsh Ministers remains.

The items to be included in the annual reports are:

• a description of the purpose, role, membership, operating structure and the key priorities of the board
• information on how the partnership arrangements have responded to the population assessment and market stability report, and implementation of the joint area plan
• details of how resources have been utilised
• information on the ways the board has supported integration of health and social services arrangements
• information on how the board has supported improved service delivery to secure better outcomes for people
• an account of how the board has engaged with citizens (in particular people who need care and support, carers, children and young people) in its work
• an account of how the board has promoted the involvement of citizens in its work and the impact this has made on improving well-being outcomes for people within the area covered by the regional partnership board
• information on any joint commissioning activity and the use of pooled funds in the partnership arrangements
• information on how the partnership bodies have engaged with social enterprises, co-operatives, user-led services and the third sector in the partnership arrangements
• information on the priorities of the board for the next 12 months
• a summary of the results of the self-assessment or associated annual review, and any resulting improvement actions.

Regulation 8

Regulation 8 amends schedule 1 of the 2015 regulations, by inserting a local authority’s functions under section 12 of the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 into the list of functions to be carried out in partnership. This will allow us to add monitoring how local authorities are exercising this function (in relation to the partnership arrangements) to the list of RPB’s objectives. (See regulation 2 above.)

Amendments to the Care and Support (Area Planning) (Wales) Regulations 2017

Regulation 9

Annual delivery plans

Regulation 9 substitutes two new regulations for Regulation 7 of the Care and Support (Area Planning) (Wales) Regulations 2017 (‘the 2017 regulations’). The first of these regulations (regulation 7) concerns the preparation and publication of an annual delivery plan. The second (regulation 8) concerns monitoring and evaluation of the joint area plan and annual delivery plans.

Section 14 of the act requires the local authorities and health board that have carried out a joint population needs assessment to also prepare and publish a joint area plan in response. One of the objectives of the RPB is to ensure that the partnership bodies work effectively together to respond to the population needs assessment and implement the joint area plan. The 2017 regulations required the first plans to be published by 1 April 2018, and for subsequent plans to be published a year after each population needs assessment – that is every five years. The latest area plans were published in 2023. The 2017 regulations currently require the relevant bodies to take appropriate steps to monitor and evaluate the services and other actions set out in the joint area plan; and that the plan be reviewed, and if necessary revised, if an addendum to the population needs assessment is published in line with Regulation 7 of the Care and Support (Population Assessments) (Wales) Regulations 2015.

The new regulation 7 would require the local authorities and health board that have prepared and published a joint area plan to prepare an annual delivery plan to support implementation of the joint area plan over the coming twelve months – that is an annual delivery plan in each of the five years covered by the joint area plan. The first annual delivery plans will be required by 1 April 2028. In preparing these plans, the partnership bodies will take into account the conclusions of the annual review of the joint area plan. The annual delivery plans must be published on the partnership bodies’ websites, and a copy submitted to the Welsh Ministers.

The new regulation 8 would require the partnership bodies to take appropriate steps to monitor and evaluate the impact of delivery of the services and actions undertaken in accordance with the joint area plan. This will include undertaking an annual review of the progress made with delivering the area plan in line with the actions set out in the annual delivery plan. The results of this annual review will be included in the RPB’s annual report.

Annual delivery plans (other than the first plan) must take into account the conclusions of the annual review of the joint area plan.

Amendments to Partnership Arrangements (Amendment) and Regulated Services (Market Stability Reports) (Wales) Regulations 2021

Regulation 10

Publication of market stability reports

Regulation 9 amends the Regulation 4 of the Partnership Arrangements (Amendment) and Regulated Services (Market Stability Reports) (Wales) Regulations 2021 (‘the 2021 regulations’), which sets the date by which market stability reports must be published. The amendment will require the next market stability reports to be published by 1 September 2027 (changed from 1 June 2027), and by 1 September every five years thereafter.

This draft amendment to the 2021 regulations has been prompted by practical considerations around the timing of future reports. It became clear when the first reports were published in 2022 that many of the RPBs struggled to get corporate sign-off from their respective partnership bodies in time to publish the reports by 1 June, due to the timing of the local government elections in May of that year. This was a consequence of the decision to postpone the local government elections by a year to avoid clashing with the Senedd elections which had been themselves postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the five yearly cycle for market stability reports is linked to the local government cycle, this is likely to be a continuing issue unless the publication date is moved. Moreover the 2017 regulations require local authorities to publish their subsequent reports ‘every 5 years after the date on which the most recent market stability report was published’. As the first reports were published at various times throughout the summer of 2022, it has become clear that this requirement will not meet the original intention that subsequent reports be published exactly five years from the original date they were due.

The amendment should allow the partnership bodies enough time to get formal sign off after the local government elections, and tightens up the requirement around publication of subsequent reports to ensure consistency.

Impact assessments

A Regulated Impact Assessment (RIA) is being prepared as part of the explanatory memorandum to accompany the laying of the draft regulations and the revised part 9 statutory guidance in the autumn.

An Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) is also being prepared, with the purpose of enabling the Welsh Government to consider in a structured way the impact of the proposed policies and actions on the people of Wales. The IIA will include a children’s rights impact assessment, an equalities impact assessment, and a Welsh Language impact assessment.

The draft regulations will primarily impact upon the RPBs and upon the partnership bodies. They are designed to facilitate regional partnership working and to strengthen the role of the RPBs as a key strategic board overseeing the partnership arrangements.

It is not considered that the draft regulations will impose any significant additional burdens on the RPBs or on the partnership bodies. They are designed to clarify and augment existing partnership arrangements, and to reflect good practice that has been developed since the 2015 regulations came into force and as the partnership arrangements and the RPBs have matured. These amendments will also allow us to strengthen and update the requirements and guidelines in the part 9 statutory guidance, incorporating the work undertaken by the five task and finish groups.

The draft regulations should also have a positive impact upon citizens and third sector organisations. This includes arrangements for working with the new citizen voice body (Llais) on citizen involvement in the partnership arrangements, and greater support for those members who are a representative voice for service users, unpaid carer and third sector organisations on the boards. They should also help RPBs monitor the participation of children and young people in the partnership arrangements.

In summary, our preliminary assessment of the specific impacts of the amendments to the 2015 regulations is as follows.

Regulation 4 expands the objectives of the RPBs, giving them a clearer role in overseeing the partnership arrangements. It updates the objectives to include oversight of the partnership bodies’ response to market stability reports (which came into force in 2021), including the development of not-for-profit approaches to delivering care and support and preventative services, in line with the Welsh Government’s policy on rebalancing the social care market. It reflects the establishment of the citizen voice body (Llais) in 2023 by requiring RPBs to work with Llais to promote the involvement of citizens in the partnership arrangements. It gives RPBs a new objective to promote the development of integrated health and social care arrangements, with the intended impact of driving forward an integrated community care system for Wales. And it also gives RPBs a role in monitoring how local authorities are promoting and facilitating the participation of children and young people in the partnership arrangements.

Regulation 5 strengthens the membership of RPBs by the inclusion of the Wales Ambulance Service Trust, and representatives from primary care providers and the county voluntary councils. This reflects current arrangements on most RPBs, and will augment the third sector and primary care voice on the board. The impact of the new requirement for RPBs to include at least one member to represent the interest of workers who provide health or social care services will be subject to further discussions during the consultation period.

Regulation 6 seeks to strengthen and facilitate the duty to co-operate by ensuring that there is a senior named person in each partnership body who is responsible for facilitating the partnership arrangements and reporting back. The intention is to ‘hard wire’ existing arrangements into the RPB. Regulation 6 also introduces new administrative requirements on RPBs in relation to the roles, recruitment and support for members, which should have a particularly positive impact upon those members who are a representative voice for citizens or who represent the third sector. And it makes statutory and recurring the new self-assessment process for RPBs which has already been piloted and rolled out across the regional partnerships.

Regulation 7 clarifies what needs to be included in the RPBs’ annual reports and reflects existing good practice. It includes a particular focus on the impact of the partnership arrangements in promoting and delivering good outcomes for individuals and communities.

The amendments to the 2017 regulations are intended to tighten up the arrangements for delivering on the actions in the five yearly joint area plans, by requiring the partnership bodies to draw up an annual delivery plan for each year of the lifetime of the area plan, and to undertake an annual review of progress. This reflects current good practice within the regional partnerships.

The minor amendments to the 2021 regulations on market stability reports are designed to facilitate the timely publication of future reports by changing the publication date.

The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout this document.

The act

The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.

The 2015 regulations

The Partnership Arrangements (Wales) Regulations 2015.

The draft regulations

The draft Partnership Arrangements (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2024, which are the subject of this consultation.

Partnership bodies

The health board and local authorities in a region which are required to set up partnership arrangements under part 9 of the act.

Regional Partnership Boards (RPBs)

The seven regional partnership boards established by the partnership bodies across Wales.

Health boards

The seven Local Health Boards (or LHBs). The area covered by a health board is coterminous with one or more local authorities. The health board ‘footprint’ is used as the basis for the seven regional partnership boards.

Part 9 statutory guidance

The part 9 statutory guidance on partnership arrangements, which sets out the requirements and guidelines for the partnership bodies, with respect to the regional partnership arrangements. Last updated in 2019, a revised version will come into force alongside the Partnership Arrangements (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2024, on 31 December 2024.

Consultation questions

Question 1:

What are your views on the draft Partnership Arrangements (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2024? Are the provisions clear and designed so as to facilitate the intentions set out in this consultation document?

Question 2:

What are your views on the likely impact of the draft regulations on particular organisations or sectors within the health and social care field? Are there any specific areas where you feel there will be a positive or negative impact upon particular sectors or organisations?

What effects do you think there would be?

How could positive effects be increased, or negative effects be mitigated?

Question 3:

What are your views on the likely impact of the draft regulations on particular groups of people, particularly those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010? Are there any specific areas where you feel there will be a positive or negative impact upon specific groups?

What effects do you think there would be?

How could positive effects be increased, or negative effects be mitigated?

Question 4:

What, in your opinion, would be the likely effects of the draft regulations on the Welsh language? We are particularly interested in any likely effects on opportunities to use the Welsh language and on not treating the Welsh language less favourably than English.

Do you think that there are opportunities to promote any positive effects?

Do you think that there are opportunities to mitigate any adverse effects?

Question 5:

In your opinion, could the draft regulations be formulated or changed so as to:

• have positive effects or more positive effects on using the Welsh language and on not treating the Welsh language less favourably than English; or 
• mitigate any negative effects on using the Welsh language and on not treating the Welsh language less favourably than English?

Question 6:

We have asked a number of specific questions. If you have any related issues which we have not specifically addressed, please use this space to report them.

Submit your comments by 9 July 2024, in any of the following ways:

• complete our online form
• download, complete our response form and email: partnershipandintegration@gov.wales
• download, complete our response form and post to:

Partnership and Integration  
Social Services and Integration Directorate
Health, Social Services and Early Years Group 
Welsh Government 
Cathays Park 
Cardiff
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