A new law aimed at improving the health of the population in Wales has been granted Royal Assent.
At an official sealing ceremony in Cardiff last week, the Public Health (Wales) Bill became an Act of the Assembly.
The wide-ranging law includes smoking bans for playgrounds, schools, and hospital grounds, and will also see tattooists, acupuncturists and body piercers regulated.
New rules will also be introduced governing the provision of public toilets by councils, while intimate piercings for under 18s are outlawed. There also now a duty on the Welsh Government to produce a national strategy on preventing and reducing obesity.
Statutory Health Impact Assessments will also be introduced, meaning that certain decisions made by public bodies will be judged as to their impact on public health.
First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones applied the Welsh Seal to the Letters Patent at the sealing ceremony, which was also attended by Public Health Minister Rebecca Evans.
Mr Jones said: “This radical legislation will help us improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Wales.
“It keeps pace with emerging public health concerns and has a strong focus on children, ensuring our young people grow up in a Wales that helps them stay safe and healthy.”
Public Health Minister, Rebecca Evans AM, added: “This wide-ranging legislation will have a significant, lasting positive impact on health in Wales.
“It will make a real difference to people of all generations, from children who will be protected from the harms of second hand smoke and the dangers of intimate piercing, to older people who will benefit from better planning of public toilet provision.
“I would like to thank all of the partners who worked with us to develop this Act, and look forward to continuing to work with them as it is implemented.”
BMA Cymru Wales, which represents doctors, has hailed the significance of the new law.
BMA Welsh Council chair Phil Banfield said: “This legislation positions Wales as a world leader in the application of public health policy.
?
“Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) will enable positive health benefits to be maximised in the development of key policies, plans and programmes, as well as ensuring negative health impacts are minimised.”
This bill, I predict, will have absolutely zero effect on health in Wales. It seems that the politicians are unable to bring the standard of care at GP surgeries back to the standards we once enjoyed. They are also unable to provide local A&E cover at hospitals, which we once also had.
Both the above are difficult to implement – instead the politicians clap eachother on the back and say what a fine thing they have achieved.
The NHS in Wales is sadly in decline.
When we had Caerphilly Miners District Hospital we had doctors in the A&E unit – if you had a broken limb it could be attended to.
We now have the much larger,more modern Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr at Ystrad Mynach – no doctors in the “Minor Injury Unit” if you have a broken limb now they will transfer you to the Royal Gwent Hospital,Newport.
So they have not “replaced” the services we once had at Caerphily Miners – they have actually removed services.
This is not a criticism of our hardworking NHS staff, but it leaves the politicians and Councillors with many questions to answer.
You are correct on all counts.