Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Wales launches manifesto ahead of 2026 Senedd elections

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Wales (AMRCW) has today launched its manifesto ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections, setting out a collective vision for a healthier Wales.

Representing doctors across specialities and career stages, AMRCW brings together the expertise of the medical royal colleges and faculties to outline key priorities for the next Welsh Government.

The manifesto highlights four areas of focus:

• Supporting the NHS workforce – ensuring sustainability through investment in training, career progression and leadership.
• Investing in prevention – tackling health inequalities and addressing the wider determinants of health.
• Delivering connected care – improving integration across health, education and social services to create a truly person-centred system.
• Embracing data and digital innovation – advancing digital transformation to improve patient experience, safety, and efficiency.

Launching the manifesto, Dr Rowena Christmas, Chair of AMRCW and Royal College of General Practitioners Cymru Wales, said:

“This manifesto is the voice of doctors across Wales, united in our call for change. By coming together as royal colleges, we are sending a clear message: if Wales is to thrive, we must invest in prevention, value our workforce, and design care that works for people, not systems.

A healthier Wales is possible, but only if we have the courage to plan for the long term, to innovate, and to listen to the voices of clinicians and patients alike”.

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Deputy Officer for Wales, Dr Dana Beasley, said:

“Paediatricians are proud to endorse the Academy’s joint calls. Child health is the foundation of a healthier, more equitable Wales and yet many children still face significant adversity – rising health needs, entrenched poverty, widening inequalities and lengthy waits for services and support. Addressing these early is both a moral duty and a smart, preventative strategy to reduce future demands on the health system.

Working together and often innovatively our professions can give individuals the best chance in life. By building stronger connections not only within the healthcare system, but also with education, social care and social justice we can provide a strong platform for tracking the systematic challenges our patients face. Redesigning services to improve integration and prioritising prevention would greatly benefit future generations and support them to lead their healthiest lives”.

Dr Hilary Williams, Vice President for Wales at the Royal College of Physicians, said:

“Too many people in Wales are being pushed into ill-health by deprivation, poor living standards and poverty – with nearly a quarter of households and almost a third of children now affected. But this trend can be reversed. If the next Welsh government invests in prevention and takes decisive action on obesity, smoking, alcohol harms and poor air quality, we can improve lives and ease pressure on the NHS.

A cross-government preventative approach to tackle the wider causes of ill-health and stop people getting ill in the first place would mean fewer people reaching crisis point, and that more people live healthier lives for longer”.

The Academy is urging political parties to adopt these recommendations in their manifestos and to work collaboratively with clinicians to ensure a sustainable future for healthcare in Wales.

Notes to editors

The manifesto is enclosed.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Wales provides an independent medical voice to promote standards through influence, collaboration, and advice.

AMRCW members include: Royal College of General Practitioners Cymru Wales, Royal College of Anaesthetists, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Wales, Royal College of Psychiatrists Wales, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Royal College of Physicians Cymru Wales, Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, Royal College of Pathologists, Royal College of Ophthalmologists, and Faculty of Public Health.

Further information

Nicolas Webb, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Royal College of GPs Cymru Wales
Nicolas.webb@rcgp.org.uk, 020 3188 7767