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Steering and Advisory Board 1

SAB 1 was held on 28th October 2025.

Here’s an overview of the key discussion points relating to the Carers Partnership and the Dementia Programme…

The focus of this update will be the progress made by the Carers Partnership Board and the regional Dementia Programme. Both report to Steering and Advisory Board 1 (SAB1), which met on 28th October.

Carers Partnership

  • A refresh of the Regional Unpaid Carers Strategy was approved by SAB1 members to build on existing strengths, rather than undertake a full rewrite. Work is now underway to gather more contributions from Unpaid Carers to add to the findings of the workshop sessions delivered on 18 September as part of the ‘Unpaid Carers: Turning Vision into Action’ event.
  • Interested in finding out more about the event and its impact? Here’s a short video produced by our Communications and Engagement Team – https://vimeo.com/1134285973/e9bc07b060?fl=pl&fe=sh
  • Gaynor Richards, Director of NPTCVS and Chair of the Regional Carers Partnership announced that from December she will be stepping down as Chair of the Partnership as she is retiring from her position at NPTCVS. The Directors and SAB1 members thanked Gaynor for her phenomenal contribution to the regional work around Unpaid Carers and the wider Regional Partnership Board, noting the increased visibility and influence of Unpaid Carers’ voices in regional decision-making thanks to her involvement.  Gaynor’s impact on embedding considerations regarding Unpaid Carers’ needs into the agendas of Chief Executives and Council Leaders has been hugely significant, and everyone has pledged to remain committed to sustaining this legacy. 
  • You can view the announcement by visiting: www.nptcvs.wales/grretirements/

Regional Dementia Programme

  • Work on developing a regional Strategy for Dementia continues to gather pace, with an engagement event planned for the spring of 2026 (more on this in a future journal instalment). Meanwhile, the Dementia Connector pilot, led by the British Red Cross, is ongoing and will be reviewed at the next board meeting.
  • The Memory Assessment Service is making strides towards standardising operating procedures. A new dashboard is being piloted to track diagnoses more effectively, and plans are in place to focus on people with learning disabilities next year. A bid for unallocated funding has been submitted to support this work.
  • Looking to the future, Improvement Cymru is hosting a national Dementia showcase in Cardiff on 12 February 2026. West Glamorgan will be contributing an interactive area to highlight our community dementia initiatives – a great opportunity to share and learn!

That’s all for this journal entry – we’ll be back after the next SAB with another update 😊