Key issues for the next Welsh government in NHS and social care Prevention and inequalities: A national mission to improve health and tackle poverty and inequalities to reduce demand escalation. This frames upstream investment as essential to sustainability. Workforce planning: Fund and implement a long-term NHS and social care workforce plan to address vacancies, retention, and skills mix. Accessible care and performance: Shift care closer to home, improve flow and performance frameworks, and manage tight finances while maintaining quality. Infrastructure and estates: Invest in digital and physical infrastructure to unlock innovation and capacity, including primary/community care estates. Social care integration: Stabilize social care funding and strengthen partnership-led models across public, private, and third sectors. Sources: Possible implications of different leadership approaches Any government: Will face trade-offs among prevention, workforce capacity, access targets, and capital investment; choices will shape short-term performance vs. long-term sustainability. Plaid Cymru leadership (in general terms): Priorities could emphasize community-based care, prevention, and integrated social care, aligning with calls for partnership-led, population-health approaches; delivery would hinge on funding and workforce realism. Reform UK leadership (in general terms): Emphasis could tilt toward performance, cost control, and rapid access targets; effectiveness would depend on safeguarding workforce supply and social care capacity to avoid bottlenecks. Direct impacts will ultimately depend on detailed 2026 manifestos, budget envelopes, and execution against the Welsh NHS Confederation's highlighted priorities: prevention, workforce, accessibility/performance, social care, and infrastructure.