Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 25 January 2023.

Wales is set to become the first UK nation to introduce a mandatory national licensing scheme for tattoo artists and those working in body piercing, semi-permanent make-up, acupuncture and electrolysis, Chief Medical Officer Frank Atherton has announced.

The scheme aims to reduce infections, eliminate poor working practices and will create a central public register for licensed practitioners and approved business premises.

It is the final phase of changes introduced under the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 to improve standards of infection prevention and control in the industry.

There are an estimated 3,516 practitioners operating in Wales who will need to be licensed, and 1,868 premises that will require approval under the new mandatory licensing scheme. The pass rate for those practitioners who have so far voluntarily already undertaken the Level 2 Award in Infection Prevention and Control is 95%.

A 12-week consultation has been launched to seek the views of all stakeholders, including practitioners, local authorities and the public.

Chief Medical Officer Frank Atherton said:

Good standards of hygiene and infection control by all special procedures practitioners and businesses is essential as these procedures are capable of causing harm if not carried out properly.

This new compulsory licensing scheme will ensure that both clients and practitioners are adequately protected at all times. I am very pleased that these impending changes have been widely welcomed by practitioners in Wales, with many already volunteering to meet the new standards.

We are keen to receive responses to the consultation from all stakeholders, but particularly from self-employed practitioners and those working as small businesses.

Tattooist Ash Davies, of Stronghold Tattoo, in Charles Street, Cardiff, has been part of the Welsh Government’s practitioner engagement group since 2018, and has passed the Level 2 Award.

He said:

It is fantastic that Wales will be the first UK nation to introduce a national licensing scheme for our sector.

We fully recognise and welcome the work Welsh Government has put in to develop this mandatory scheme to regulate industry practices, and its development of a bespoke regulated infection prevention and control qualification. This will raise standards and should be embraced.

Ffion Hughes, a permanent makeup and paramedical tattooist based at Little Wren Beauty & Aesthetics, in Pool Street, Caernarfon, participated in the engagement conferences on the new scheme in 2019.

She said:

This mandatory scheme will provide a level playing field for reputable businesses in the industry.

The Welsh Government has continued to engage with us throughout the development of this legislation and it is great to see our feedback has been considered and used to inform the consultation.

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 24 January 2023.

A service providing mental health and wellbeing support for teachers and education staff has been awarded over £600k, the Minister for Education and Welsh Language Jeremy Miles has announced.

The funding will see the School Wellbeing Service run by Education Support extended and will increases the reach and depth of the programme.

Education Support is the only UK charity with expertise in supporting the mental health and well-being of the education workforce.

The School Wellbeing Service provides free advice and support for schools across Wales with a focus on staff wellbeing.

Wellbeing Advisors work with schools to provide resources and advice on policies, practices and strategies that support staff mental health and wellbeing.

The £600,000 additional funding announced today will increase the amount of wellbeing advisors who will be able to support schools to transform their school cultures and improve staff wellbeing. The new advisors have already been recruited with the expanded programme due to launch on January 30^th. Development of tailored support for Teaching Assistants has also been commissioned.

The programmes offers two strands of support.

• Access to a ‘School Advisory Service’ which gives schools access to open, honest and non-judgemental conversations about how to make improvements, backed up by actionable advice and support.

• And the ‘Wellbeing Support and Development service’ which provides in-depth development opportunities to keep staff feeling motivated, engaged and effective in their roles.

Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, said:

I am proud that in Wales we are leading the way with our Whole School Approach to mental health and wellbeing. Learning about mental health and emotional well-being is now a mandatory part of the Curriculum for Wales for all schools.

The emotional well-being of the education workforce is also vital and we plan to increase this support year-on-year until 2025.

The School Wellbeing Services will play a huge role in supporting the workforce and I’m delighted that Education Support will once more deliver this fantastic programme. Many schools have already benefited from the service and I would encourage all schools to find out how the expanded programme can help them.

Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Lynne Neagle, said:

The School Wellbeing Service is providing support tailored to the needs of our education workforce to help them access support more easily, should they need it.

Our Whole School Approach is just that – making sure everyone in school is supported, including learners and staff too. I am very pleased to see the programme being extended to even more schools, so even more people can benefit.

Faye McGuinness, Director of Programmes, Education Support:

Teachers, leaders and school staff play a vital role in shaping the lives of children and young people, and good mental and emotional health is central to their ability to do their jobs effectively.

It’s in everyone’s interest – pupils’, parents’ and the entire Welsh nation – that educators in Wales are mentally and emotionally well enough to guide and inspire the next generation.

For staff mental health to thrive, school cultures must actively prioritise it. For staff to feel motivated and engaged, they must continue to develop their expertise and passion for their role. That’s why we’re delighted to expand these services to reach even more school staff with development opportunities, alongside our existing Schools Advisory Service, thanks to funding from Welsh Government.

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 24 January 2023.

Finance Minister, Rebecca Evans, visited Centerprise International’s new £6m IT operations centre yesterday which will bring 70 new jobs to the area.

The IT provider’s 17-acre site in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly was opened in October following a £6 million investment supported by Welsh Government. The company aims to generate a minimum of 70 new jobs in the region, ranging from PC building to cloud services. Many of the new jobs will be apprenticeships, working in collaboration with technical colleges in the surrounding area.

The new development is a significant further investment in Wales for Centerprise and is an indication of its growing presence in the Welsh public sector, having twice secured a place on the Welsh Government IT Products and Services procurement framework. Most Welsh local authorities are now customers and all Welsh Government laptops are purchased through Centerprise international.

This new investment adds significant production capacity for building PCs and will be the centre for all technical operations. Cloud services and Esports are 2 other focus areas for the new site following the company’s growing success supplying high-end gaming PCs to football clubs and Esports arenas across the UK and Europe.

Minister for Finance and Local Government, Rebecca Evans, said:

Centerprise International’s decision to invest in this plant is great news for Wales. Bringing skilled engineering resources within easy reach of Welsh public sector customers will help us improve how we deliver essential services to the Welsh public.

The Welsh Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee aims to provide everyone under 25 in Wales with the offer of work, education, training, or self-employment. I’m delighted that this centre will support that commitment through the early career apprenticeships that will be offered in collaboration with local technical colleges.

CEO of Centerprise International, Jeremy Nash, said:

This new operations centre is the platform for Centerprise to enhance its active participation in making the IT industry more sustainable and to further its contribution to building a more prosperous Wales. We will use this investment to drive the circular economy and provide career opportunities in digital, data and technology for the current and future generations of Wales. This is another proud and immensely significant milestone in Centerprise’s journey.

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 24 January 2023.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan has today, 24th January, announced £5m to increase the number of allied health professionals (AHPs) and increase access to community-based care to help people remain active and independent.

Available from April 2023, the funding will increase the number of community-based AHPs and support workers in the NHS. They will help people stay independent and well at home, helping to prevent hospital admissions and they will also help people to be quickly discharged from hospital with the right support and rehabilitation in place to recover at home.

Allied health professions is a group of 13 professions, which include physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, dietitians and psychologists. Based in local community health teams, they provide preventative and early intervention services, alternatives to hospital admission and reduce the need for long-term social care.

Supporting people to recover at home with rehabilitation or spend less time in a hospital bed can have a considerable benefit on a people’s wellbeing, improve health outcomes and speed up recovery.

Examples of how AHPs can help people receive care and rehabilitation in the community include:

• The creation of virtual wards, which allow patients to receive the treatment they need at home safely and conveniently, rather than being in hospital, or expand the existing community resource teams which give GPs and paramedics alternatives to emergency departments.
• Treat people who have suffered a fall at home, if they do not need to go to hospital, and provide a programme of care and advice to reduce the likelihood of a further fall and rebuild their confidence and strength.
• Provide effective interventions to help people newly diagnosed with dementia to continue to live at home, support family carers and reduce the rate at which they may deteriorate.

Minister for Health and Social Services Eluned Morgan said:

The focus of health and social care in Wales is on strengthening community-based services. We want people to live at home, as independently as possible and for as long as possible.

We know that many people who are older and living with frailty or many health conditions can quickly deteriorate if they are inactive in bed for too long and, if they have been in hospital, when they leave they may be less mobile and less independent than when they were admitted. This funding will help us to help people return home as quickly as possible, with access to the right community assessment and rehabilitation, so they can remain active for as long as possible, living with their families and doing the things they enjoy most in their daily lives.

Currently, not enough people can access the expertise of AHPs to maximise their health and improve their recovery. This is why I am announcing £5m to improve access to these skilled professionals and services to provide alternatives to hospital admission and reduce reliance on long-term social care. By expanding what health services can be provided within the community it will help us to tackle some of the current pressures facing our health and care system.

Chief Allied Health Professions Adviser, Ruth Crowder said:

Demand for AHPs’ skills has risen since the pandemic, and people are presenting to services with more complex needs. AHPs excel in delivering treatments which are particularly valuable in supporting the complex, multi-dimensional needs of people who are frail or living with long term health conditions.

Without community AHP services, people may be admitted to hospital when they could have been treated at home, are unable to be discharged from hospital when their acute treatment is complete or end up moving to residential or nursing care earlier than might otherwise be the case, adding to other pressure on our social care services. Improving access to allied health professionals will bring a wider workforce together in a reformed primary care.

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 23 January 2023.

Minister Julie James was today (Monday, January 23) invited to see building safety remediation works taking place in Cardiff after 11 major developers signed up to a new Welsh Government pact.

In November, the Minister announced details of the pact that represents a public commitment developers will address ‘fire safety issues in buildings of 11 metres and over that have been developed over the last 30 years’.

The Welsh Government Developers Pact, underpinned by formal legal documentation, has been shared with Builders Federation and developers are expected to accept the terms shortly.

Some developers, including Persimmon Homes and Bellway, have started work ahead of formally accepting the terms and the Minister was invited to see vital fire safety works carried out in Century Wharf.

Climate Change Minister Julie James said:

It was great to visit Century Wharf today to see first-hand the work that is already being carried out in Wales.

I have always made it clear that I do not expect leaseholders to bear the cost of repairing fire safety issues that are not of their making and that I expect developers to step up to their responsibilities.

I am very grateful to Persimmon for the invitation today, I am very pleased they have worked closely with the management company to carry out this work ahead of formally accepting the terms of the Pact and look forward to continuing this productive relationship.

Persimmon’s Regional Chairman, Liam Scott:

We were very pleased to welcome the Minister for Climate Change to see the action being undertaken at Century Wharf.

We made a commitment two years ago to pay for any necessary cladding and safety related remediation work on multi-storey buildings Persimmon constructed. We took this leadership position as we wanted to protect our customers and remove uncertainty for them.

We have worked closely with the management company overseeing the works, and will continue to do so as we fund the remediation programmes on such buildings in Wales.

Persimmon strongly supports the Welsh Government’s efforts to resolve the cladding and fire safety challenge as we believe it is not only fair for leaseholders in Wales, but also the right thing to do as one of the nation’s leading housebuilders.

We’ll continue to work constructively with the Minister for Climate Change and the Welsh Government as we support the completion of works as quickly as possible for leaseholders.

In a written statement published shortly after the visit, the Minister provided an update for those affected by fire safety issues who have struggled with mortgages.

We are making significant progress towards addressing this issue and giving the finance sector assurances they require,

she said.

At present, lenders operate on a case-by-case basis in Wales, and we are working closely with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and UK Finance Ltd to ensure the recent announcement for England will similarly be considered on properties in Wales.

The Minister also confirmed a change to the way the Leaseholder Support Scheme works.

Despite the positive moves made by developers, and other progress, I appreciate that these works will not come soon enough for some leaseholders who face financial hardship as a result of fire safety issues in their homes,

she said.

In June last year I launched the Leaseholder Support Scheme with a commitment that I would continue to review the eligibility criteria to ensure those in greatest need would benefit from the scheme.

Following the completion of a review I have instructed officials to amend the eligibility criteria of the scheme in two fundamental ways.

The first is to amend the assessment of financial hardship to take into account the rising cost of energy.

This is vital as it will increase recognition of those in significant financial hardship as a result of the recent increases to the energy price cap and will allow more people to access the scheme.

The second fundamental change is to remove the Displaced Residents clause.

Previously, to be eligible for the scheme, leaseholders had to either be residents, or be residents forced from their property due to changing circumstances.

By removing this criterion, the scheme is now opened to leaseholders who have purchased properties as an investment, such as pensioners, or those who have received the leasehold through an inheritance.

The support offered by this scheme will help more leaseholders in financial hardship receive the support they need.

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 20 January 2023.

Wales will be introducing a Deposit Return Scheme by 2025, Climate Change Minister Julie James confirmed today.

The new initiative will see us pay a small deposit when we buy a drink in a single use container, which we get back when we return the bottle or can.

Wales is working with England and Northern Ireland to set up a joint scheme, meaning you can buy a drink in Barry and return it in Bristol or Belfast.

Scotland is setting up its own scheme, which starts later this year.

The announcement follows legislation to ban a number of single use plastics.

Climate Change Minister Julie James said:

This is another step forward in moving Wales to a more circular economy where less waste is generated, and resources are reused and recycled rather than ending up in landfill.

Consultation has shown huge public support for the scheme’s introduction, and we know people in Wales want to play their part in improving our already world-leading recycling rates.

Wales is the third best country in the world for recycling, but we know we can and need to go further in tackling the waste that affects our cities and towns and blights our countryside and reducing our emissions.

Every year UK consumers go through an estimated 14 billion plastic drinks bottles and nine billion drinks cans, many of which are littered or condemned to landfill.

International examples show deposit return schemes can successfully improve recycling, with rates above 90% in Germany, Finland and Norway.

Through the financial incentive provided to consumers to return their single- use drinks containers, it is estimated that, after three years of the scheme, 85% fewer drinks containers will be discarded as litter, with a target to collect over 90% of returnable drinks containers once the scheme is up and running.

The materials captured in the deposit return scheme in Wales will be drinks containers made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel, glass, and aluminium.

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 20 January 2023.

A project to help Welsh mothers in prison maintain positive relationships with their children has had further funding confirmed.

Mick Antoniw, Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, and Jane Hutt, Minister for Social Justice, visited HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire to speak to frontline staff and people involved in the ‘Visiting Mum’ service.

‘Visiting Mum’, delivered by Pact (the Prison Advice & Care Trust), runs from HMP Styal in Cheshire as well as HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire – the two most common locations for women in Wales being sent to prison. The service is designed to provide benefits for both mothers and their children.

As there are no prisons for women in Wales women serve custodial sentences in England, often at a considerable distance from their homes and families. ‘Visiting Mum’ helps strengthen family ties by facilitating closer contact between mothers and children.

Around half of women in prison are mothers, and the service identifies women who are at risk of losing contact with their children and offers specialist support. It then arranges visits, offers parenting and relationship programmes, offers transport to children, and provides ‘wraparound care’ for children after their visit.

An evaluation of the project found it was improving wellbeing among mothers and reducing the risk of self-harm, while also improving long-term outcomes for their children.

Between June 2021 and August 2022 ‘Visiting Mum’ supported 68 families. The project is joint funded by the Welsh Government and HM Prison and Probation Service, who are both contributing £90,000 in 2023-24 to ensure the scheme can continue.

Nadia Emblin, Pact Head of Service Delivery and Development – Wales and Western England, commented:

While we believe that custodial sentences for women should only ever be used as a last resort, Visiting Mum ensures better outcomes for both mothers in custody and their children in the community.

Our evaluation shows the positive impact of this kind of holistic support on the mental health and wellbeing of the whole family. It is also vital in reducing reoffending, as we know that prisoners who receive visits are 39% less likely to return to prison.

We are hugely grateful to our partners at Change Grow Live, and to the Welsh Government and HMPPS for ensuring the scheme can continue. One mum recently told us that it offered, “a light in the dark” for her during her sentence, and we hope that we can provide this hope for many more women in the future.

Jane Hutt, Minister for Social Justice, said:

Our approach to women’s justice stresses the importance of working with women in contact with the justice system in a holistic and rehabilitative way.

We continue to believe prison sentences should be a last resort, and are supportive of the proposed Residential Women’s Centre in Swansea which will provide an alternative to a prison sentence.

But for women who are in prison, often with long distances between themselves and their family, Visiting Mum can be an invaluable service that keeps them in contact with the people they love.

Mick Antoniw, Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, said:

We believe one of the key elements of the justice system should be rehabilitation. Justice is about more than courts and punishment; it is about people and families. Supporting people in prison to lead fulfilling lives when they are out of prison is an important responsibility of any effective approach to justice.

The ‘Visiting Mum’ project is a positive example of this in action, with a rehabilitative approach leading to real benefits for both mothers and children.

UK government Minister for Prisons and Probation Damian Hinds said:

Keeping in touch with family is a vital lifeline for women in custody – supporting their wellbeing and reducing re-offending.

By funding services like Visiting Mum this government is helping to deliver better outcomes for women in prison, which in turn makes our communities safer.

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 19 January 2023.

The Welsh Government will increase student maintenance support by 9.4% for the 2023 to 2024 academic year, subject to regulations being made.

The average full-time Welsh student can claim £10,710 in maintenance grants and loans, which will rise to £11,720 thanks to this increase.

This will apply to full-time and part-time higher education students from Wales, who began a course on or after 1 August 2018.

Living costs support is rising in line with the National Living Wage, which is unique to Wales. In contrast, the UK Government has announced a 2.8% increase for students ordinarily resident in England.

The Welsh Government continues to provide the most progressive student finance system in the UK. Welsh undergraduate students have less to repay on average than their English peers as they can access our generous living costs package of grants and loans.

The highest level of grant support is given to those students most in need. A substantial part-time student support package is available, giving students from all backgrounds the chance to study part-time.

The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles said:

Living costs should never be a barrier to studying at university. This increase in support will ensure that students from all backgrounds are able to access higher education.

Despite continuing budget pressures, I have ensured that the value of support is increased accordingly at this time of exceptional cost-of-living pressures.

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 18 January 2023.

Almost 400 more nurse training places will be created in Wales thanks to an 8% increase in the NHS Wales training budget, Health Minister Eluned Morgan today announced.

The Welsh Government has approved Health Education and Improvement Wales’ (HEIW)’s ambitious Education and Training Plan 2023-24 for NHS Wales, backed by a record £281m investment package.

This is the ninth consecutive year that health professional education and training budgets will have increased in Wales.

The plan will support 527 extra training places for a wide range of NHS professionals, from scientists and pharmacists to occupational therapists and physiotherapists, as well as nurses.

The increase in training places include the following professions (full list below):

• Adult nurse training places increase from 1,651 to 1,892 – a 14.6% increase.
• Child nurse training places increase from 175 to 192 – a 9.7% increase.
• Mental health nurses training places increase from 410 to 530 – a 29% increase.
• Midwives training places increase from 185 to 190 – up 2.7%.
• Physiotherapist training places increase from 174 to 180 – up 3.4%.
• Occupational therapist training places increase from 179 to 197 – up 10%.
• Paramedics training places increase from 116 to 120 – a 3.4% increase.
• Pharmacy technician training places increase from 30 to 50 – up 66.7%.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan said:

Despite the inflationary pressures on our budget we are committed to investing in the NHS workforce in Wales.

I am delighted to increase training places once again for nurses and the many other health professions, which are the backbone of our health service.

A well-trained NHS workforce with the right skills is essential to providing a sustainable high-quality care to people across Wales and improving standards in our health service.

These additional training places will deliver a workforce which can respond to the challenges of the future.

The Welsh NHS currently has more people working in it than at any time in its history, focusing on prevention and care across every community.

Lisa Llewelyn, Director of Nurse and Health Professional Education at HEIW, said:

This plan has been developed in collaboration with key stakeholders from the NHS in Wales and will support current and future workforce numbers.

Building on growth from previous years, the additional education and training places will mean increased numbers of a range of qualified healthcare professionals being available to deliver quality care to our population and work in Wales in a range of roles and locations.

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 17 January 2023.

The Deputy Minister for Social Partnership, Hannah Blythyn, has today announced a group of experts will work together to advise Welsh Government on actions to ban conversion practices in Wales for all LGBTQ+ people.

It fulfils a commitment from the Minister to form a working group which brings together representatives from faith communities; the health and social care sector; and children and young people’s representatives, alongside LGBTQ+ people to advise on key elements of the work.

Members include Jayne Ozanne, who underwent nearly 20 years of conversion practices, which resulted in her being hospitalised twice.

Now she works to ensure full inclusion of all LGBTQ+ people, particularly LGBTQ+ people of faith, and is the Founder and Chair of the UK’s Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition which is campaigning for a full ban on the practice.

On being invited to join the working group, Jayne said:

We know this happens in many churches and religious groups across the world. Wales is no exception.

It is abhorrent, harmful and abusive, Sadly, it is a trauma that stays with you for life as it gets at the absolute core of who you are and how you love.

Including trans and non-binary people in a ban is critical as the level of physical abuse and verbal abuse against the trans and non-binary community is so severe. It is particularly crucial we work to protect young people from across the LGBTQ+ community because the mental outcomes are so horrific.

If you’re traumatised at a relatively young age over something as fundamental as your core identity, then that can go on to impact your education prospects, your career prospects, your sense of confidence and your ability to love and be loved, which means lifelong affirming relationships are often badly compromised.

With a firm ambition to make Wales the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe the Welsh Government and NHS Wales signed up to a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with the Coalition Against Conversion Therapy in 2022.

Organisations who sign the Memorandum and work in the provision of mental or psychological health delivery or commissioning, such as the NHS, will commit to ensure they do not commission or provide conversion therapy in Wales.

Another member of the new expert group is Ian Green who has more than 25 years’ experience of high-profile leadership roles. The current Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust said:

As someone who as a young man experienced LGBT conversion therapy, I know how important it is that this abhorrent practice is banned. Being lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans is not something that needs to be changed or cured.

I’m looking forward to being part of the Welsh Government’s working group on conversion practices and playing an active role in helping to see a ban implemented in Wales.

The Welsh Government has commissioned legal advice to establish exactly what powers already exist in Wales in order to seek the devolution of any additional powers needed to ban conversion therapy in its entirety.

Deputy Minister for Social Partnership, Hannah Blythyn said:

Recent Census data revealed there are LGBTQ+ people living and participating in every part of Wales, which further emphasises our commitment to ensure every corner of our country is a safe place to live openly and authentically.

Conversion practices are abhorrent, and we are committed to banning it to help protect everyone in our LGBTQ+ communities.

Members of our working group bring a wealth of experience, and, in some cases, first-hand experience of the sheer upset and utter harm conversion practices can cause. The combined knowledge of the members will be invaluable as we work to ban this frankly evil practice.