Fascinating read, with a political side-note: once again we see a regulator falling apart due to funding cuts in the 2010s, and the government not paying attention after 2016 because the focus is elsewhere.

New poll in Wales, this time with constituency level estimates from YouGov(🥳). Polling in Wales has been pretty noisy over the last 24 months with some big house effects, but the general vote intention trend is clear - May 2026 is a two-horse race between Plaid Cymru and Reform

Imagine trust in polling being at an all time low and then doing “polls” where a quarter of respondents are AI agents hallucinating answers based on exit polling.

Healthcare assistants play an important, often overlooked role in community pall & end of life care. This study (brilliantly led by @kpatynowska.bsky.social) explores what affects their wellbeing and intention to leave - and vitally, how orgs can address this. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Three years into the AI era, educators say they face a major crisis. Bosses and clients replacing tutoring jobs with AI. Replacing *athletic coaching* with AI. Many students now cannot grasp why they would *not* use AI for schoolwork. And worse. The 5th installment of AI Killed My Job—educators:

Bold ambitions in the new Neighbourhood Health Framework for England. Including a ‘fundamental reimagining of roles and skills’ in the workforce over the next 10 years www.gov.uk/government/publications/neighbourhood-health-framework/neighbourhood-health-framework

#ntsummit The divide between what is counted as "Health" or "Social Care" is defined by professionals and policy makers but is not apparent to or understood by the general public who see it as a continuum based on need, not on who pays, how it is paid for, which organisation is responsible

Health and social care is a major priority for the Welsh public ahead of the Senedd election - second only to cost of living. It’s especially a priority for older voters. Fascinating that the NHS doesn’t even get a nod in Reform’s core pledges for Wales… www.reformparty.uk/welsh-manife...

Does anyone think that this - effectively describing people who came here at *our* invitation to work in care homes as would-be parasites on the welfare state - is what she meant?

Please share. All welcome 💜 #RunningPunks #Cardiff @senedd.wales

This is good. Working in the open feels like a crucial easy win. On the NHS, Wales publishes far less data & fewer programme updates than England. Unclear why. Openness isn’t just good for accountability. It’s a key innovation driver - ask any researcher or policy analyst keen to get hold of it!

Arguably more significant than defections, internal party politics and the Beckhams… In 2024 there were around 3,600 suspected cases of measles. We need to challenge the nonsense spread by anti vaxxers and ensure children are protected. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... news.sky.com/story/uk-los...

New post just out: "On the edge" On my unexpected week in hospital and five things I learnt about the state of the NHS. (Free to read) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/o...

The face of a dog who was so happy to see us when we got back from holiday that he sprained his tail from wagging too much. Poor boy.

After Japan’s ambassador went viral singing Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, Wales' FM has returned the favour by belting out the Japanese national anthem

The charity I work for has found that ethnicity data collection in the NHS in Wales is poor compared to that in England (<50% compared to >95%). Means that Wales unable to provide ethnicity data to cancer audits and not contribute to research. www.tenovuscancercare.org.uk/news-views-l...

If you don’t collect the data then you don’t know whether a problem exists. And if there’s no evidence of a problem, then there’s no need for a policy solution. It’s not an accident that so many OECD countries don’t collate race or ethnicity data. Pandemic highlighted how data can save lives.

The aftermath of storm Darragh in Victoria Park this morning. Lots of damage to beautiful trees, but crikey that could have been a lot worse

ON THE BLOG: How to improve parliamentary scrutiny of the assisted dying bill Assuming that its legislative passage continues, @danielgover.bsky.social makes four suggestions for how parliamentary scrutiny of the bill could be improved.

Around 600,000 people who die in the UK each year could benefit from palliative care. Palliative care needs to be state funded, as it is now in the Republic of Ireland. @rthonwesstreeting.bsky.social bmcpalliatcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.... (See estimates of need - Tables 3+4)

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill passed its second reading by 330 votes to 275 this afternoon. Adding a devo spin to the @instituteforgov.bsky.social’s analysis, I’ve been taking a look at how MPs across the four nations voted today and what this could mean for its future. 🧵

How the votes for assisted dying split by party

Pleased to see the Assisted Dying Bill move on to the next stage of scrutiny. How this Bill would be implemented in Wales is a complex issue needing close consideration. Bet I’m not the only one looking for a decent explainer on the LCM process this afternoon.

New report out today shows the UK increasingly depends on doctors from overseas. Of all licensed doctors in Wales, 38% qualified abroad. That’s up from 33% in 2019. How we talk about immigration matters. Some of the rhetoric today feels really unhelpful. www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/docu...

Lots of MPs are undecided (or at least undeclared). There's still time to use writetothem.com to tell your MP your views on the Assisted Dying Bill - you just need your postcode. The bill has it's second reading vote tomorrow, which will decide if it will then go to committee stage.

A story for the process crowd.. What happens next with assisted dying if it passes - It won't be government bill or get govt time - Civil servants and ministers will start work on it - Govt will work on amendments with Leadbeater to get legislation in shape - Minister will be on bill committee

Great to welcome MS for #Pontypridd @mickantoniw.bsky.social here and former FM & Bridgend MS @carwynj.bsky.social - both now added to this Seneddwyr/cyn-Seneddwyr Starter Pack. #Wales #Cymru 👇 (Ignore my presence, I’m neither past/present/future!) go.bsky.app/7z84W2k

Using my first Bluesky post to share my first journal article! Understanding how many people need palliative care has never been more important - our research shows the vast majority of people who die in the UK would benefit from it. Have a read and let’s chat about evidence-based health policy 👋