Blog Post Community Wellbeing Working together to tackle loneliness and isolation In February 2020, the Welsh Government published its first ever strategy to tackle loneliness and social isolation - “Connected Communities”. We have probably all experienced these feelings at some point in our lives, but when they become long-term and entrenched, they can have a huge impact on our physical and mental wellbeing. And 'although loneliness […] Read more Topics: Community collaboration Loneliness June 12, 2023
Blog Post Tackling Inequalities What works to tackle poverty? Experimenting with a Basic Income in Wales The current ‘cost of living crisis’ has highlighted the urgency of identifying and developing effective approaches to tackling poverty, an objective which underpinned the poverty review which we delivered for the Welsh Government in September 2022. Over the last year, there has been a 69% rise in the number of people experiencing food insecurity in […] Read more Topics: Economy Poverty and social exclusion December 15, 2022
Blog Post Tackling Inequalities Tackling poverty and mental health together: a multi-agency approach The Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) has recommended four areas of focus for Welsh Government action on poverty and social exclusion. One of these is about mental load and mental health: “Addressing the emotional and psychological burden carried by people living in poverty and social exclusion through tackling stigma, (re)humanising ‘the system’ and treating […] Read more Topics: Community collaboration Health inequalities Poverty and social exclusion December 2, 2022
Blog Post Community Wellbeing The state of democracy in Wales: What is it and how can we measure it? Concerns over democratic health are a global phenomenon, often triggered by crises or events that result in public pressure for reform. Iceland’s near-economic destruction after the Global Financial Crisis, for instance, instigated wide-ranging reforms to their democratic system. In Wales (and the wider UK) discussions around the health of our democracy have traditionally focussed narrowly […] Read more Topics: Local government November 17, 2022
Blog Post Community Wellbeing What does 'blended' digital and face-to-face provision mean for access to services during the cost-of-living crisis? The cost-of-living crisis is making access to community-based wellbeing services ever more important for an increasing number of people. These services – from advice, advocacy and support services to leisure and cultural organisations – are critical in supporting our immediate and long-term wellbeing. As highlighted during the pandemic, they save lives in times of crisis. […] Read more Topics: Local government Poverty and social exclusion November 8, 2022
Blog Post Research and Impact Understanding organisations that provide evidence for policy This blog post is based on the Evidence & Policy article, ‘Knowledge brokering organisations: a new way of governing evidence’. New organisations have emerged in different countries to help inform policymaking. Different from think tanks and academic research centres, these Knowledge Brokering Organisations (KBOs) attempt to influence policy by mobilising evidence. Our research examines how […] Read more Research and Impact: The role of KBOs November 1, 2022
Blog Post Research and Impact National Milestones – Using evidence and expertise to tell a ‘status story’ The ‘second wave’ of Welsh Government consultation on its National Milestones ended last month. The Milestones relate to a set of National Indicators, articulated under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, which enable the measurement of progress towards the seven Well-being Goals for Wales. These National Milestones deliberately align with milestones operating at […] Read more Research and Impact: Impact Methods and approaches October 25, 2022
Blog Post Tackling Inequalities Waiting for care Waiting for care arises from the mismatch between the need for care, and the capacity of NHS services to meet those needs and can lead to adverse outcomes. The report from the Wales Centre for Public Policy highlights how the time spent waiting for referral-to-treatment (RTT) has been increasing since before the pandemic, which further […] Read more Topics: Health inequalities October 20, 2022
Blog Post Tackling Inequalities What does the Welsh health and social care system look like? Our previous blog, Is healthcare in Wales really that different?, sets out some of the key features of the Welsh health and social care system, and key differences from other parts of the UK. Like other developed healthcare systems, the structure of the NHS in Wales has developed and evolved in response to population needs […] Read more Topics: Health inequalities October 12, 2022
Blog Post Tackling Inequalities Are the Welsh Government’s plans for the Welsh NHS Executive a missed opportunity? With so much of the focus on the NHS being given to waiting times, it was easy to miss the Welsh Government’s update on the NHS Executive for Wales. This may seem like a bureaucratic distraction from more important issues, but establishing an NHS Executive has long been seen as an essential reform to the […] Read more Topics: Health inequalities Local government October 12, 2022
