Welsh Government Board meeting: 13 December 2024

• Tim Moss (Chair)
• Carys Williams
• Mutale Merrill
• Aled Edwards
• Mike Usher
• Tracey Burke
• Andrew Slade
• Judith Paget
• Sioned Evans
• Dom Houlihan
• David Richards
• TUS Representative
• Future Generations Board Champion 

In attendance 

• Ruth Meadows
• Georgina Haarhoff
• Nicola Edwards
• Liz Lalley 

 Secretariat 

• Permanent Secretary’s Office 

Apologies 

• Andrew Goodall
• Amelia John
• Dean Medcraft
• Nia James
• Co-Chairs of the Shadow Board

1.1 Tim Moss chaired the meeting on behalf of the Permanent Secretary who unfortunately was unable to attend. The Chair welcomed all to the meeting and noted the apologies received. The minutes of 01 November were agreed.

1.2 The Chair noted that Amelia John’s term as Equality Champion will come to an end on 31 December. The Chair thanked Amelia for the energy and commitment she has brought to the role and for the contribution she has made to the organisation as Equality Champion. A recruitment exercise to fill the role is underway.

1.3 The Chair reflected on the Senedd Term just ended and noted that the 2025-26 draft budget was published on10 December.

1.4 The Chair noted that the publication of the 2024 People Survey findings. A discussion on the actions planned in response to the findings will come to Board in early 2025. 

1.5 The Chair noted the impact of Storm Darragh on communities across Wales and thanked those officials across Welsh Government who had worked tirelessly to coordinate and manage the response.

1.6 The Chair noted the appointment of Sir Chris Wormald as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service.

2.1 The Chair welcomed Georgina Haarhoff, Ruth Meadows and Nicola Edwards to the meeting and invited them to present to Board plans to address the First Minister’s priorities for education.

2.2 David Richards and Mike Usher noted the evolving role of schools and queried whether this had been accidental or intentional. Nicola replied that some actions had been deliberate policy decisions such as schools becoming community hubs, but others were in response to the needs of learners, for example schools providing laundry services to support families. Ruth Meadows added that may of the challenges faced in schools are replicated across the Further Education sector. Ruth also noted the importance of raising learners’ ambitions and aspirations right at the start of their education.

2.3 Mutale Merrill and Aled Edwards noted the complex nature of the issues faced by the education sector and asked how the third sector and other can help. Nicola noted the valuable contribution that the third sector plays and added that officials are looking to evolve the way Welsh Government works with the sector

2.4 Carys Williams queried if there is international best practice from other small states that Wales could learn from. Mike and Aled asked how best to disseminate the best practice from schools in Wales.

2.5 Judith Paget noted the importance of taking a cross-government approach to tthe challenges faced by schools and highlighted the importance of reducing the waiting time for neuro divergent assessments.

2.6 The Future Generations Champion reminded Board of the importance of incorporating the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act into the response to the challenges faced by the education sector.

2.7 The Chair asked the presenters to suggest what Welsh Government could do differently to tackle the challenges outlined in the presentation. Georgina suggested that addressing the issues outlined in the presentation should be a priority for the Educations Department both in terms of its own work but also in terms of its interactions with other departments. Nicola noted the importance of taking a longer-term view of the education sector and what it might look like in the future. Ruth suggested enhancing the cross-government understanding of role the Further Educations sector plays and highlighted the importance of helping learners make the right choice at 16.

2.8 The Chair thanked all for their comments and drew the item to a close.

3.1 The Chair welcomed Liz Lalley to the meeting. The Chair provided an update on progress on the WG Vision, Change Portfolio and WG2025 since the workshop between the Permanent Secretary, Directors General and Non-executive Directors in October and set out the next steps for the Board to consider.

3.2 Carys Williams queried whether there are any areas where immediate and impactful actions could be taken. Judith Paget agreed and suggested focusing on a small number of areas where there could be the greatest momentum for change and impact.

3.3 Mike Usher highlighted the need for prioritisation and the importance of identifying resources to support the change programme. Mike suggested including a discussion on how Welsh Government can best work with the wider public sector to foster better outcomes for Wales.

3.4 Dom Houlihan suggested reviewing the People Survey findings to identify the main areas where staff wish to see improvements and use this information to inform the immediate priorities for action.

3.5 Sioned Evans suggested that staff may feel disempowered and highlight the cultural change needed to remedy this position.

3.6 The Chair thanked the Board for their comments and reassured members that discussions on resourcing the change programme are underway.

4.1 The Chair invited Judith Paget to update Board update Board on the work of Health, Social Care and Early Years Group highlighting priorities and pressing issues the Group is dealing with or expects to deal with over the coming months.

4.2 Carys Williams noted the important role of the third sector in supporting the work of the NHS and asked if financial pressures might lead to some services being cut. Judith responded that officials would work in partnership with organisations to identify opportunities for savings and productivity gains.

4.3 Carys asked if there was an increase in staff reporting incidents of violence. Judith responded that those working in the NHS and undertaking other caring roles in the public sector are likely to face violence and aggression and that staff are actively encouraged to report this with resources in place to support.

4.4 Mike Usher queried whether it was possible to identify yet the benefits of setting up the NHS Executive. Mike also asked whether the transfer of responsibility for the Early Years portfolio into the Group was helping the organisation address the challenges faced by the sector. Judith responded that the NHS Executive was beginning to fulfil its potential and that the transfer of responsibility for early years into the Group was a real positive move.

4.5 Mutale Merrill asked for an update on mainstreaming the Anti-racist Plan for patients and staff. Judith responded that the Workforce Race Equality Standard report for Wales has just been published. Judith noted that further work is needed to improve the data on the experiences of ethnic minority people working in the NHS in Wales. Judith highlighted the increase in ethnic minority trainee midwives and advancements in the work around maternity support and care.

4.6 Judith noted the role technological advances in enabling the NHS treat more people and highlighted the importance of personal choices on health in later life.

5.1 The Chair provided an update on the in-year finance position noting that Cabinet has agreed the allocation of extra funding following the UK Government’s Budget in October. ExCo and its Finance and Corporate Services subcommittee will continue to monitor closely the in-year position.

6.1 Carys Williams suggested giving further thought on how best to make use of Board meetings and avoid potential duplication with discussions at other groups and meetings.