In her annual report, Wales’ chief medical officer has said that the country must shift towards a prevention-first approach to health. 

Wales must shift towards a prevention-first approach to health to address stagnating life expectancy and mounting pressures on its health services. 

The chief medical officer’s annual report notes a decline in life expectancy, especially in deprived areas, with people now living for more years of their life with ill health. It highlights that around 75% of deaths in people under the age of 75 in Wales are preventable, but that successful prevention initiatives, such as tobacco control, have demonstrated the potential for significant improvements in population health over time.

The report calls for action across all levels of government and society to address the social, economic and environmental determinants of health; continue to support parents and early years education programmes for low-income families; encourage vaccination and screening uptake; and help adults make healthier choices.

Six months into her role, Isabel Oliver, the country’s chief medical officer, said that this demanded “changes in society, and at an individual level, so that health is recognised as a responsibility – as well as a right – for everyone in Wales”.

Financial benefits

Tobacco control is analysed in the report in detail. 

The annual report points out that if smoking rates had not changed in the past ten years, there would be more than 170,000 additional smokers aged 18 or over. If smoking rates continue to reduce from the present 10% in Wales to 8%, it is estimated that this change alone would prevent nearly 600 smoking-related deaths and 2,700 smoking-related hospital admissions each year.

A key finding is that evidence shows public health programmes offer an average return on investment of 14 to one. 

“The evidence is clear – prevention is incredible value for money… There is no room for complacency, we need to see smoking rates continue to decrease. But we also need to replicate the progress in tobacco control across other areas, such as healthy eating and exercise,” said Oliver. 

To strengthen prevention efforts, the chief medical officer has established a preventing ill-health advisory group to provide national leadership and ensure prevention considerations are a key component of ministerial advice.