Public Health and Local Government in Wales: Every Policy A Health Policy – A Collaborative Agenda

Abstract

This chapter focuses on public health in Wales and the context within which it is delivered. As a devolved service, health policy and the wider public policy legislative framework are the responsibility of the devolved Welsh Government tasked under the Government of Wales Act 2006 with developing and implementing policy, exercising executive functions, and making subordinate legislation. The chapter outlines the organisations involved and the context of the policy in Wales. It also explores the political drive for more collaboration between different organisations as a mechanism for the delivery of better services. The chapter then examines a unique piece of legislation in Wales, the Well-Being of Future Generations Act 2015 (WFG Act), and identifies how this may influence the work of local authorities and other organisations in relation to health and its social determinants. It draws on the available evidence on how this is working so far and looks at two key policy areas jointly driven by the Cymru Well Wales partnership: 'Adverse Childhood Experiences' and 'The first 1,000 days'.