Brecon and Radnorshire MS James Evans has welcomed a Welsh Government commitment to improve transparency within the NHS, but warned that “words alone won’t restore public trust” without real accountability and consistent action across Wales’ health boards.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles MS recently announced plans for greater openness in NHS decision-making, including public accountability meetings with health boards, improved access to performance data, and reforms to the complaints system under the new ‘Listening to People’ initiative, which will come into force from April next year.

Mr Miles said transparency was “crucial to creating an open, self-improving culture” within the health service.

But Mr Evans, who also serves as the Welsh Conservatives’ Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, said too many residents still feel that decisions are being made for them, not with them, particularly in rural areas such as Brecon and Radnorshire.

He said: “I don’t think anybody can argue against a more transparent NHS. People need confidence in the service when they use it and when they make complaints. But too often, residents tell me decisions are being made in the dark, with minutes missing and public views ignored. That’s not transparency - that’s exclusion.”

The MS pointed to failings in maternity and neonatal services as examples where lessons have not been fully learned.

“The Cabinet Secretary needs to ensure best practice is shared across every health board, because without that, the same mistakes will keep happening,” he added.

“Transparency must come with accountability. If the Cabinet Secretary isn’t happy with how health boards respond, what powers will he use to make change happen? It’s OK to hold public meetings, but what matters most is that the public are actually listened to, decisions are explained, and the data being published is accurate, verified, and meaningful.”