Welsh national social care service will not come before next Senedd election, says minister

A national social care service for Wales will not be achieved in this Senedd term, according to the deputy Welsh government minister in charge.

Plaid Cymru's 2026 Senedd election manifesto said the party believed "social care, like healthcare, should be provided free at the point of use to all those who need it".

Speaking at the National Eisteddfod, Delyth Jewell said a national service was "not something we'll be able to achieve in its entirety in this term".

Her comments follow a speech by the new UK prime minister Andy Burnham last week, announcing a national conversation on the future of adult social care in England.

He said "difficult decisions" would have to be taken on funding reforms in order to transform social care.

The current Senedd term lasts until 2030, when the next election will take place.

Social care is devolved, meaning the system in Wales is overseen by the Welsh government and implemented by Welsh councils.

Costs for social care are currently met either by a resident or their local authority, and are means-tested.

Jewell, deputy minister for social care, said a national social care service for Wales was a "massive priority" for her and the Plaid Cymru government.

But, speaking at a Welsh government event at the Eisteddfod, Jewell said it would not "happen overnight".

"I want to get us on a path towards a system that can be considered truly national. It's not something we'll be able to achieve in its entirety in this term. But I want to get us firmly on a path towards that," she said.

Asked whether the government would consider using its limited tax-raising powers to pay for a national service, Jewell said that spending money more "efficiently" was the current approach.

"At the moment what we want to focus on is ensuring that the system we have works in the most efficient way possible," she said.

"I think there are a lot of ways of ensuring that the money that's being spent is spent a lot more efficiently."

Burnham did not rule out tax rises to help pay for social care in England when he made his announcement at the end of July.

The prime minister said it was a "major dereliction of public duty" that successive governments had failed to address the crisis.