Helo bawb! Hi everyone!
February flew by quickly, but we have a load of great resources to share with you again this month.
What modern digital delivery in Cymru really requires
We’ve started 2026 at Transform Wales with one focus: what does modern digital delivery in Cymru actually require?
With the Centre for Digital Public Services moving into the centre of Welsh Government by April, this is a turning point. But structure alone won’t transform services.
In recent weeks, we’ve set out what needs to change:
Digital delivery in Welsh Government: what we expect to see – the minimum conditions for success: governance that supports learning, outcome-focused assurance, competitive pay and authority for digital leaders, stable funding for product teams, and strong communities of practice.
Working in the open for leaders – openness is not comms, it’s governance. Short, regular updates build trust, surface problems early and shift culture from theatre to delivery.
Why the First Minister is wrong about public sector technology delivery – Cymru does not lack talent. It lacks consistent political will and permission to work differently.
Beyond the AI magic box: a guide for leaders in Wales – AI is not a miracle cure. Start with real service friction, build small tools that remove failure demand, and work in the open so learning spreads.
Across all four posts, the message is consistent. Digital is not just technology. It’s leadership, skills, funding and the courage to work differently.
The foundations exist. The talent exists.
Will Cymru use this moment to lead?
This month’s digital news in Cymru
From crisis response to national platform
Joel Howe, Lead Application Design Architect at Digital Health and Care Wales, wrote about how the Welsh Immunisation System evolved from a two-week emergency build into a strategic national platform. He reflects on modernising a live, clinically critical service while balancing safety, scale and technical debt - and how that crisis response matured into long-term digital capability for Wales.
Poetry meets public service reform
At the CDPS Community day, poets Aneirin Karadog and Rufus Mufasa were invited to observe the event and perform a live poem in response. Some of our Transform Wales team were there, and it was a powerful reminder that digital reform is about people as much as tech. Through sharp, thoughtful verse, the poets captured the tensions, hopes and shared ambition in the room, offering a different kind of reflection on what it means to change how public services work in Cymru.
From measuring outcomes to understanding impact
Fay Turner, Quality Assurance Officer at Bridgend County Borough Council, wrote about how storytelling can reshape quality assurance in social care. Moving beyond audits and activity data, she explores how story-based dialogue methods surface lived experience, strengthen reflective practice and align with the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act. The shift from counting actions to understanding impact is helping embed learning, voice and prevention at the heart of improvement.
Designing primary care services that protect patients
Ayala Gordon, Digital Product Leader at Digital Health and Care Wales, wrote about why joining up primary care services is a patient-safety imperative. Reflecting on electronic referrals and lessons from a Prevention of Future Deaths report, she argues that shared ownership, shared standards and service-shaped funding are essential to reduce clinical risk. Joined-up digital pathways across GP, pharmacy, dental and optometry aren’t just about efficiency - they are about protecting patients and delivering better value for Wales.
A ÂŁ4.1m AI skills hub - and questions of value
Mahad Kalam wrote a sharp critique of the UK Government’s new AI Skills Hub, arguing that the £4.1 million site functions largely as a directory linking to existing third-party courses. They highlight usability and accessibility concerns, factual errors in legal guidance, and what they see as a lack of craft and accountability in delivery. The piece raises a broader question: how should government invest in digital capability, and what does value for money really look like in practice?
Upcoming events
Design Swansea: Cropped - 5 March 2026
Design Swansea is hosting its annual show-and-tell at HQ Urban Kitchen in Swansea on 5 March. The evening will feature quick-fire 10-minute lightning talks from creatives across design, web, videography, typography, illustration and photography.
NHS Hack Day in Cardiff - Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 March 2026
NHS Hack Day is coming to the Hadyn Ellis building in Cardiff for a weekend of collaborative problem-solving in health and care. Open to everyone - not just developers - the event brings together clinicians, patients, carers, designers and technologists to pitch real-world problems and build prototype solutions in multidisciplinary teams. It’s less about polished products and more about learning, connection and fresh thinking.