Well-being boards offer 'great opportunities' for Welsh public sector

1 Aug 17

The introduction of public services boards to examine well-being in Wales offers the public sector great opportunities, according to a study.

The Well-being in Wales: Planning today for a better tomorrow report, which came out last week, looks into the data gathered by the 19 public services boards (PSBs) across Wales, which have been operating for just over a year.

The PSBs published a local assessment of economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being – gathering and assessing available data, looking at future trends and involving a range of partners, people and local communities to help public services better understand their experiences.

Sophie Howe, report author, said: “The creation of public services boards brings one of the biggest opportunities for the public sector in Wales to deliver services that are rooted in the reality of people's lives and that will benefit the well-being of future generations.

“The well-being assessment gives us a glimpse of the state of the nation, not only exploring the issues now but how they might present themselves in the long-term lives of people.”

She cited the example that half of the people with enduring mental health problems had showed symptoms before the age of 14, indicating the importance of early intervention.

Other predictions on issues such as the level of obesity are also highlighted by the PSBs.

They show a quarter of children are already overweight in the UK and Wales has the highest proportion of that figure.

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