Home on Transform Wales

#10 - 📝 Focus on health and care in Wales

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:30:00 +0100

There is no shortage of ideas about what needs to improve in health and care in Wales. This month’s newsletter brings together stories that look beneath the headlines. They show that improving healthcare isn’t only about solving today’s problems. It’s about creating the conditions for better decisions, better services and better experiences over time.

Policy is not finished when legislation passes

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:10:00 +0100

Governments are often judged by the policies they announce. But people experience government differently. A policy is only successful if people can experience its intended outcome in practice.

Start with problems, not solutions

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:30:00 +0100

One of the biggest reasons public sector change struggles is surprisingly simple. Solutions are often decided before the problem is fully understood. Only later do the harder questions emerge. Starting with problems does not slow delivery down. It helps avoid wasting time and money solving the wrong thing.

#9 - 📝 100 days in enough to prove a different way of governing

Thu, 28 May 2026 12:30:00 +0100

The Senedd election marks the start of a new chapter for Wales. Change can feel uncertain, but it also creates space to rethink how government works and what public services could become. With Plaid Cymru now leading government and setting out its first 100-day plan, there is an opportunity to move faster, work differently, and start rebuilding trust through visible improvements people can actually feel in their daily lives.

The Welsh public sector cannot afford legacy ways of working anymore

Fri, 22 May 2026 07:30:00 +0100

With a new government and a new mandate for change, Wales must do things differently over the coming months to deliver change that can be felt by the public. For years, public service reform in Wales has focused heavily on what government should deliver: housing, health, care, transport. Far less attention has been paid to how change is delivered. That matters more than ever.

100 days is enough to prove a different way of governing

Wed, 13 May 2026 07:30:00 +0100

Plaid Cymru’s ‘First 100 days’ plan sets out an ambitious vision for Wales. It talks about creating a more open and transparent government, adopting a ’test and learn’ approach to delivery, agreeing measurable outcomes, and building ‘One Welsh Public Service’. Those commitments matter. However, many people across the Welsh public sector will be wondering whether government can really move at that speed.

#8 - 📝 Party manifestos and digital transformation

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:01:00 +0100

Helo bawb! Hi everyone! We’re counting down the days to the Senedd election here at Transform Wales. For information about voting, check out Vote.Wales and make sure your vote counts this year.

Testing the 2026 manifestos against digital reality

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +0100

As Wales prepares for the 2026 election, we’ve analysed the major party manifestos to see if they address the systemic ‘plumbing’ needed for modern public services. Our review finds that while Artificial Intelligence hype is high, the holistic reform of ways of working and internal state capacity often takes a back seat. Read our full breakdown to see which parties are ready to move beyond ‘digital wallpaper’ and truly transform the Welsh public sector.

#7 - 📝 March’s stories, events, campaigns and more

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:01:00 +0000

Helo bawb! Hi everyone! Spring is in the air, and with the Senedd election fast approaching, it feels like now is the time to start preparing and planning for the year ahead.

A mission-led model for Welsh public services

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000

In our previous post, we argued that the Welsh public sector is caught in a performance trap. We struggle to move the needle on the things that actually matter because we focus on outputs (the things we build) rather than outcomes (the change we want to see). To break this cycle, we need a fundamental shift in how we govern. We need to move from a culture of short-term projects to one of long-term missions.

From outputs to outcomes: redefining public sector success

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Every week when we catch up as a group, our discussions keep coming back to a single, frustrating realisation: our public services are incredibly good at staying busy, but we are struggling to move the needle on the things that actually matter. We’ve fallen into the trap of focusing on outputs rather than outcomes.

#6 - 📝 What modern digital delivery in Cymru really requires - February’s digital news roundup

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 10:01:00 +0000

Helo bawb! Hi everyone! February flew by quickly, but we have a load of great resources to share with you again this month.

Thank you to everybody who supported our Crowdfunder

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 09:00:00 +0000

In December we closed our Crowdfunder page, which we set up to cover the costs of getting Transforming Public Services for a Modern Wales in front of the people who most need to see it.

Beyond the AI magic box: A guide for leaders in Wales

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The pressure on Welsh public sector leaders to adopt AI is coming from every direction. From the Senedd to Westminster, the narrative is seductive: AI is a magic box that will solve our efficiency woes and bridge the gap between rising demand and shrinking budgets. AI has the potential to be a powerful set of tools, but it is not a miracle cure. This post sets out 5 practical steps that public sector leaders in Wales should take this year to move past the noise.

Why the First Minister is wrong about public sector technology delivery

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

This week the For Wales See Wales podcast interviewed Eluned Morgan, the First Minister of Wales. In it, she expressed her frustration at the speed of digital transformation in Wales. We agree. However, we don’t agree with her suggestion that the problem is with the state delivering technology. The question is what is holding back the devolved public sector in Wales?

#5 - 📝 Service patterns, Welsh language research and problems worth solving - January’s digital news roundup

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 10:01:00 +0000

Helo bawb! We hope 2026 is off to a good start so far. We’ve published posts on what we expect to see for digital delivery in the Welsh Government, and a guide for leaders on working in the open.

Working in the open for leaders

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Working in the open is a powerful governance tool that provides leaders with earlier visibility into work, allowing them to identify risks and steer outcomes before they become costly crises. If you feel accountable for outcomes, risk, reputation and public money, but you don’t always get a clear view of the work early enough to steer it, this is for you.

Digital delivery in Welsh Government: What we expect to see

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

In September 2025, Welsh Government announced that the Centre for Digital Public Services (CDPS) would be absorbed into the organisation. Since that announcement, there has been little public clarity about what this change means in practice. This post sets out the minimum standard we expect from the new directorate, and the benefits Wales gains if that standard is met.

#4 - 📝 Community resources, service patterns, and show and tells - December’s digital news roundup

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 10:01:00 +0000

Helo bawb! Hi everyone! As the year draws to a close, we’ve been taking time to reflect on what’s been a busy and energising year for Transform Wales.

2025: a year of building momentum

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 09:05:00 +0000

2025 was a year of momentum for us. Much of what we’ve done hasn’t always been visible from the outside. It’s happened in conversations, shared documents, late-night messages, and a growing belief that Wales can do digital public services differently – and better. This feels like the right moment to pause, reflect, and make that work visible.

#3 - 📝 GovCamp Cymru, service patterns, and rebranding user research - November’s digital news roundup

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0100

Helo bawb! Hi everyone! We kicked off the month at GovCamp Cymru 2025, where we officially launched the Transform Wales report, giving out about 60 printed copies and stickers.

GovCamp Cymru 2025: building the future of public services in Wales together

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 09:50:00 +0000

What a brilliant day at GovCamp Cymru! The energy, generosity, and curiosity in every room was infectious, and proof that when you bring together people who care about public services in Wales, good ideas flow fast. We pitched and ran a packed session on ‘A vision for public services in Wales’. Around 40 people joined us to explore what great public service delivery could look like, and what’s holding us back. What we heard: a shared vision.

#2 - 📝 Bilingual design, AI, and problems worth solving – October’s digital news roundup

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0100

Helo bawb! Hi everyone! It’s been a busy month here at Transform Wales.

We learned the language of digital. Now it’s time to learn the practice.

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:30:00 +0000

I’ve spent most of my career helping teams move from talking about user-centred design (UCD) to actually doing it, often as part of digital transformation programmes. And one thing I’ve learned is this: transformation doesn’t stall because people don’t care. It stalls because we treat “digital” as technology, rather than a way of working and thinking.

Thank you for supporting our Crowdfunder

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Thank you to everyone who’s supported our Transform Wales Crowdfunder so far — whether you’ve donated, shared, or cheered us on. Every contribution helps us grow the conversation about what a fairer, more digital Wales could look like.

Our new report is here – be the first to read it!

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 13:29:00 +0100

We’re excited to share that the Transform Wales report has just been launched, and you’re the first to hear!

A note on Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0100

There is no explicit mention of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in this report - we’ve done this on purpose. Throughout the next Senedd, it’ll be important for Welsh Government to explore the opportunities that AI provides - experiment, test, learn. Identify what opportunities work, and which don’t add value.

A better way