The Welsh Government’s draft budget has been criticised by Mid and West Wales MS Jane Dodds for failing to address what she describes as a growing social care crisis in Powys.

Ms Dodds has urged ministers to create a ringfenced fund for local councils to allocate specifically to social care services. She argues that without targeted investment, efforts to reduce hospital waiting times will be undermined as healthcare and social care systems are “deeply interconnected."

A report from the Welsh NHS Confederation reveals that around 1,600 patients are stuck in hospitals at any given time due to a lack of available social care. Separately, the Welsh Local Government Association has forecast that adult social care costs will account for nearly 40 per cent of all cost pressures next year.

In Powys, the financial strain is acute, with the social care sector already facing a mid-year spend of £4.4 million due to increased demand. Ms Dodds warns that this pressure is exacerbating challenges across the healthcare system.

“This crisis does not exist in isolation," said Ms Dodds.

"It impacts the entire healthcare sector and it’s time for the Welsh Government to realise this fact.”

"Patients and staff in hospitals across Powys are currently facing huge pressures thanks to record-high waiting lists created by a lack of social care services,” she said.

Ms Dodds stressed the importance of social care funding in helping patients return home and freeing up hospital beds.

“Social care and healthcare are deeply interconnected," she said.

"One cannot succeed without the other, which is why we need a ringfenced fund for councils to spend on social care to help people return home to their loved ones."

The Welsh Government has announced £600m in additional funding for health and social care as part of its 2025-26 Draft Budget.

The package includes more than £400m for frontline NHS services and pay, and £175m for infrastructure, equipment, and digital technology. It also maintains the mental health ringfence at more than £820m and provides a 4.3 per cent uplift to the local government settlement, which supports services like social care.

First Minister Eluned Morgan said the funding represents a new opportunity for Wales.

“People told me over the summer how proud they are of the NHS in Wales. But they also said they were worried about long waiting times for treatment," she said.

“Today is a real opportunity. With an extra £600m for health and social care, we are finally able to unlock the potential and power of the partnership of two Labour governments – in Wales and Westminster - working together, to deliver for the people of Wales.”

Cabinet Secretary for Finance Mark Drakeford said it was a budget for "a brighter tomorrow".

“The uplift for health and social care today means we will be able to reduce the longest NHS waiting times, continue to improve mental health services and access to social care, and build on strengthening women's health services in Wales," he said.