Equality in Public Health

Growth in life expectancy in Wales has stalled in recent years and health inequalities have widened. The impact of Covid-19 has already been shown to hit poorer communities hardest. Too many people in Wales are prevented from working, caring and enjoying life by poor physical and mental health.

A Plaid Cymru Government would make Health Equality our goal– with actions to improve access to care for all, expanding opportunities for physical activity. We would:

• Encourage walking and cycling with a specific focus on access for disabled groups. There will be investment in better pavements, dropped curbs, public toilets and benches and improving public accessibility to amenities such as parks, and public transport of buses and railways. Planning regulations to support access will be strengthened.
• Invest in the Youth Service and Youth Centres in every area – ensuring they include professionals offering mental health advice and sexual health advice.
• Increase access to sexual health services, information, testing, and early treatment.
• Work with large public sector employers such as NHS and local government to ensure that staff have access to occupational health service, leisure and sport facilities – and we will work with business providers to see how this access can be expanded to employees of SMEs.
• Require all schools to meet the minimum requirement of providing children with the opportunity to do two hours of physical activity each week.
• Ensure post-16 education institutions provide sport and leisure facilities and encourage participation by attendees.
• Social prescribing – such as gardening, walking and swimming – will be encouraged and expanded to include participation in community activity.
• Encourage healthy eating by monitoring access to healthy food in the most deprived communities, ensuring cookery is on the curriculum, and explore the legislative options of a Junk Food Tax.
• Fluoridate the Welsh water supply to reduce cavities in children by 25 per cent.

We would aim to end HIV transmission in Wales. We would:

• Increase access to sexual health services, information, testing, and early treatment.
• Fund access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
• Support education, research, and community groups tackling AIDS.