Fel corff proffesiynol, rydym yn gosod safonau ac yn achredu cyrsiau a chymwysterau ar gyfer addysg ein haelodau proffesiynol ac ymarferwyr iechyd yr amgylchedd eraill.
Fel canolfan wybodaeth, rydym yn darparu gwybodaeth, tystiolaeth a chyngor ar bolisïau i lywodraethau lleol a chenedlaethol, ymarferwyr iechyd yr amgylchedd ac iechyd y cyhoedd, diwydiant a rhanddeiliaid eraill. Rydym yn cyhoeddi llyfrau a chylchgronau, yn cynnal digwyddiadau addysgol ac yn comisiynu ymchwil.
Fel corff dyfarnu, rydym yn darparu cymwysterau, digwyddiadau a deunyddiau cefnogol i hyfforddwyr ac ymgeiswyr am bynciau sy’n berthnasol i iechyd, lles a diogelwch er mwyn datblygu arfer gorau a sgiliau yn y gweithle ar gyfer gwirfoddolwyr, gweithwyr, rheolwyr busnesau a pherchnogion busnesau.
Fel mudiad ymgyrchu, rydym yn gweithio i wthio iechyd yr amgylchedd yn uwch ar yr agenda cyhoeddus a hyrwyddo gwelliannau mewn polisi iechyd yr amgylchedd ac iechyd y cyhoedd.
Rydym yn elusen gofrestredig gyda dros 10,500 o aelodau ledled Cymru, Lloegr a Gogledd Iwerddon.
As a professional body, we set standards and accredit courses and qualifications for the education of our professional members and other environmental health practitioners.
As a knowledge centre, we provide information, evidence and policy advice to local and national government, environmental and public health practitioners, industry and other stakeholders. We publish books and magazines, run educational events and commission research.
As an awarding body, we provide qualifications, events, and trainer and candidate support materials on topics relevant to health, wellbeing and safety to develop workplace skills and best practice in volunteers, employees, business managers and business owners.
As a campaigning organisation, we work to push environmental health further up the public agenda and to promote improvements in environmental and public health policy.
We are a registered charity with over 10,500 members across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) in Wales has worked with the National Assembly for Wales Health and Social Care Committee on a number of public health initiatives in the past 5 years, responding to consultations, providing evidence to the Committee and working with our partners in local government to facilitating delivery of some of the initiatives.
Q1. To what extent has the Health and Social Care Committee had an impact on health and social care in Wales
The CIEH feels that the committee has had a considerable impact on health and on social care in Wales. It has considered a wide range of topics, some of which have engaged much public interest, such as the Food Hygiene Ratings Bill and the Human Transplantation (Wales) Bill, and in doing so has facilitated public engagement in the debates around the subjects under consideration.
It is possible to see the impact that the Committee has had in the way in which Bills as presented to the committee for consideration have been changed through the Committees’ recommendation to reflect the detailed consideration that they have had, reflecting the input form experts, professional groups and from the public as service users.
Given the importance of the health and public health agendas to the public in Wales it is vital that the public feel part of the process of developing improvements, whether through scrutiny of legislation, care provision or service prioritisation and the inclusive nature of the Committee’s considerations has encouraged this to be the case.
- what has been the Committee’s biggest achievement?
The single biggest achievement has been to encourage and facilitate engagement with the consultation and scrutiny process. This has been supported by broadcasting evidence sessions on Senydd television and the internet, which makes the workings of the Committee accessible. This is critically important and we trust that it will continue.
Specifically, we consider that the scrutiny process around the Food Hygiene Ratings Bill was helpful. In the opinion of the CIEH the decision of the Welsh Government to make the display of Food Hygiene Ratings mandatory has been a huge driver to improving food hygiene standards in Wales and to better informing the public about hygiene condition in food premises. In our view the draft Bill as presented was improved as the result of the security process, such that the Act that was passed has been easily understood by enforcers food business operators and the public alike.
- if the Committee could have done one thing differently, what would it be, and why?
Our engagement with the Committee has been very positive. We cannot make any suggestions in respect of different ways of operation.
- has the Committee’s work struck the right balance between scrutiny of policy, finances and legislation?
The CIEH responded to consultations issued by the Committee and has given oral evidence when legislation has been scrutinised. Other than to comment on Regulatory Impact Assessment and the financial consequences of legislation – e.g. the need for local government to be funded to enforce it or the requirement for training to precede its implementation we have not engaged in the process of financial scrutiny.
We feel that the way in which the committee has worked has been helpful in that the consultation process has informed the form that draft legislation has taken such that it has been very much based on the consultation responses, taking account of the views expressed as part of that process. This has meant that any changes to the draft legislation have in the main been minor, being issues of further clarification or minor amendment, and that the draft legislation has commanded support from those parties who participated in the consultation process. We feel that this is the correct way to develop legislation and that front loading time and resources to the consultation process means that the draft legislation, when it emerges is very close to being fit for purpose.
Q2 Looking ahead to the next five years, in your view what will be the three biggest challenges for health and social care in Wales?
Dylid cyfeirio ymholiadau am yr ymateb hwn at:
Julie Barratt
Cyfarwyddwraig yng Nghymru
Sefydliad Siartredig Iechyd yr Amgylchedd
Ffôn symudol
E-bost
Cwrt Glaslyn
Llantarnam Parkway Cwmbran NP44 3GA
Ffôn Ffacs
www.cieh-cymruwales.org
Any enquiries about this response should be directed to:
Julie Barratt
Director of CIEH Wales
Chartered Institute of Environmental Health
Mobile
Lakeside Court
Llantarnam Park Way Cwmbran NP44 3GA
Telephone Fax