Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health
Welsh Government minister
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health (Welsh: Y Gweinidog Plant a Gofal Cymdeithasol) is a minister of the Welsh Government, accountable to the cabinet Cabinet Minister for Health and Care. The current officeholder is Delyth Jewell since May 2026.
| Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health of Wales | |
|---|---|
| Welsh Government | |
| Style | Welsh Minister |
| Status | Minister |
| Abbreviation | Minister |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | the Senedd, the First Minister of Wales and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care |
| Seat | Cardiff |
| Nominator | First Minister of Wales |
| Appointer | The Crown |
| Term length | Four years Subject to elections to the Senedd which take place every four years |
| First holder | Alun Pugh AM |
Deputy ministers
| Name | Picture | Entered office | Left office | Other offices held | Political party | Government | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deputy Secretary for Health and Social Services | ||||||||
| Alun Pugh | 23 February 2000 | 17 October 2000 | Labour | Interim Rhodri Morgan administration | [1] | |||
| Deputy Minister for Health and Social Care | ||||||||
| John Griffiths | 13 May 2003 | 2007 | Labour | Second Rhodri Morgan government | [2] | |||
| Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services | ||||||||
| Gwenda Thomas | 31 May 2007 | 19 July 2007 | Labour | Third Rhodri Morgan government | [3] | |||
| Deputy Minister for Social Services | ||||||||
| Gwenda Thomas | 19 July 2007 | 10 December 2009 | Labour | Fourth Rhodri Morgan government | [3] | |||
| Gwenda Thomas | 10 December 2009 | 2011 | Labour | First Jones government | [3] | |||
| Deputy Minister for Children & Social Services | ||||||||
| Gwenda Thomas | 13 May 2011 | 11 September 2014 | Labour | Second Jones government | [4][5] | |||
| Minister for Social Services and Public Health | ||||||||
| Rebecca Evans | 19 May 2016 | 2017 | Labour | Third Jones government | [6] | |||
| Minister for Children and Social Care (2017–18)
Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care (2018) | ||||||||
| Huw Irranca-Davies | 3 November 2017 | 2018 | Older People brief added in May 2018.[7] | Labour | Third Jones government | [8] | ||
| Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services (2018–2021)
Deputy Minister for Social Services (2021–2024) | ||||||||
| Julie Morgan | 13 December 2018 | 20 March 2024 | Labour | First Drakeford government | [9] | |||
| Second Drakeford government | [10] | |||||||
| Minister for Social Care (2024) | ||||||||
| Dawn Bowden | 21 March 2024 | 11 September 2024 | Labour | Gething government | [11] | |||
| Eluned Morgan government | ||||||||
| Minister for Children and Social Care | ||||||||
| Dawn Bowden | 11 September 2024 | 8 May 2026 | Labour | Eluned Morgan government | [12] | |||
| Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health | ||||||||
| Delyth Jewell | 13 May 2026 | Incumbent | Plaid Cymru | ap Iorwerth government | [13] | |||
Responsibilities
The post's responsibilities are:[14]
- Some public health responsibilities, specifically;
- The response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales, screening and vaccination.
- Services for Health improvement and wellbeing
- Delivery and performance of NHS Wales
- Escalation procedures
- Responsibility in managing reports from Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, such as keeping a receipt of, responding to, and managing the direction of their reports.
- Overseeing the Welsh Government's relationship with Audit Wales in matters relating to the NHS.
- The training and development of the medical workforce, excluding the higher education years 1-5 of Doctors
- Health and social care research and development
- Digital health and health innovation
- Mental health services
- Suicide prevention
- Dementia
- Autism
- Gambling problem-related health impacts
- Substance misuse
- Health of the armed forces and veterans
- Strategy for Obesity
- Food Standards Agency in Wales, including food safety
- Genetically modified food (but not genetically modified crops)
- Experience of patients, their involvement, and the citizens' voices
- Safeguarding
- Services for Adoption and Foster care
- Advocacy services for children and young people's, such as managing complains, representations, as well as advocacy, under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
- Sharing information under the Children Act 2004
- Cafcass Cymru
- Overseeing and deciding policy regarding social service provision of activities by the local authorities in Wales, including issuing statutory guidance
- Overseeing Social Care Wales
- Regulating domiciliary, residential, adult placements, foster care, under 8's care provision and private healthcare
- Inspecting and reporting the provision of social services by the local authorities in Wales, through the Care Inspectorate Wales, including jointly reviewing social services and responding to any reports
- The rights and entitlements of children and young people, including utilising the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Early years, childcare and play, including the "childcare offer" and its workforce
- Early childhood education and care
- Flying Start for children aged 0–3 years
- Policies for Families First and play
The post is accountable and deputy to the Minister for Health and Social Services.[15]