A Therapy Strategy for Wales

The Welsh Assembly Government has set out its 10 year vision for health and social care in Wales in Designed for Life (2005). This builds on the Wanless Review (2003) which underlined the need for a co-ordinated and sustained effort to improve levels of health and well-being in Wales supported by modernisation of health and social care services.

Designed to Deliver (2006) provides a report on progress to date while Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities (2006) presents the vision for social services and social care for the next 10 years. These together with the new circumstances created by Beyond Boundaries (2006) the Beecham Report which present an important opportunity to reconsider the role of Therapy Services in Wales.

The skills, commitment and creativity of therapy staff have been evident in innovative service developments across Wales in recent years. This Strategy, the first for these services in Wales, confirms their direction of travel and provides additional impetus for continued change. It encompasses the whole spectrum of health and well-being including injury and ill health prevention, early intervention, acute care, rehabilitation, chronic condition management and long term care.

The Strategy identifies a vision for the future of Therapy Services in Wales, the values that underpin their development and ten key and emerging roles the professions can fulfil. It presents an agenda that sets out at a high level the major contribution therapy staff can make to the health and well being of the population and is applicable in all sectors and at the interface between sectors. The Strategy is supported by a Compendium of Innovation in Therapy Services available on 'Design 4 Improvement', a web-site developed by the National Leadership and Innovation Agency for Healthcare.

The health and social care communities in Wales will need to take on board the key actions in this Strategy. They will need to jointly explore with their local Therapy Services how these are to be fully realised to support the creation of world class, modern and effective health and social care for our population.

Minister for Health and Social Services, November 2006