Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing

When the post was created as a cabinet post in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales, its responsibilities were stated to include at the time to be; mental health services, patient experience, substance misuse, dementia, veterans' health, and the obesity strategy of Wales.^[7]

Since becoming a junior post in 2021, the responsibilities of the post are:^[3]

• 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-holder launched the "National Framework for Social Prescribing" in December 2023, aiming for the consistent delivery of social prescribing.^[8][9] The post-holder also announced in 2023, funding arrangements for Trading Standards Wales, concerning illegal electronic cigarettes,^[10] and online therapy services overseen by Powys Teaching Health Board in 2022.^[11]

• Ministry