In March 2024 we responded to the Welsh Government’s consultation on its proposals to introduce statutory Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) for public bodies.
Our response
You can download our full response at the bottom of this page.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Wales welcomes the opportunities and potential benefits of statutory HIAs. However, RCPCH Wales urges the Welsh Government to strengthen the proposed regulations to ensure HIAs can fulfil their purpose and deliver on the potential benefits.
Our recommendations
RCPCH Wales asks the Welsh Government to:
- Adopt the widely recognised European Centre for Health Policy (1999) Gothenburg Consensus definition of HIAs.
- Clarify the meaning of ‘strategic nature’ within Regulation 3.
- Ensure there is meaningful consultation before, during and after a HIA has been produced. This should involve including children and young people in consultation when appropriate.
- Set out a timeline for the delivering of the accompanying guidance for HIAs.
- Elevate the accompanying guidance for HIAs to statutory guidance.
- Strengthen and clarify the role of Welsh Health Impact Assessment Support Unit (WHIASU) in Regulation 5.
- Set out how the Welsh Government intends to monitor the process and impact of HIAs on decision making.
- Clarify how HIAs will interact with existing legislation and impact assessments.
- Consider adding a specific clause for HIAs to consider the impact of policy developments on babies, children and young people who are disproportionately affected by health inequalities.
We respond to a wide range of consultations to ensure that the College’s position, and ultimately children’s health, is represented. Members can get involved in current consultations by contacting the Wales team at enquiries.wales@rcpch.ac.uk.
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