# Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing

The Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing (Welsh: Y Gweinidog Iechyd Meddwl a Llesiant) is a minister of the Welsh Government, accountable to the cabinet secretary for health and social care. Established as a cabinet position in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales, it was moved to a junior position in 2021. The current officeholder is Sarah Murphy since July 2024.

## Ministers

| Name | Name | Entered office | Left office | Other offices held | Political party | Government |
| Minister for Mental Health, Wellbeing and the Welsh Language |||||||||
| | Eluned Morgan | 8 October 2020 (during COVID) | 13 May 2021 | Accountable to Minister for Health and Social Services | Labour | First Drakeford government |
| Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing |||||||||
| | Lynne Neagle | 13 May 2021 | 20 March 2024 | | Labour | Second Drakeford government |
| Minister for Mental Health and Early Years |||||||||
| | Jayne Bryant | 21 March 2024 | 17 July 2024 | | Labour | Gething government |
| | Sarah Murphy | 17 July 2024 | 11 September 2024 | | Labour | Gething government Eluned Morgan government |
| Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing |||||||||
| | Sarah Murphy | 11 September 2024 | Incumbent | | Labour | Eluned Morgan government |

## Responsibilities

When the post was created as a cabinet post in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales, its responsibilities were stated to include at the time to be; mental health services, patient experience, substance misuse, dementia, veterans' health, and the obesity strategy of Wales.
Since becoming a junior post in 2021, the responsibilities of the post are:
* Some public health responsibilities, specifically;
** The response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales, screening and vaccination.
** Services for Health improvement and wellbeing
* Delivery and performance of NHS Wales
* Escalation procedures
* Responsibility in managing reports from Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, such as keeping a receipt of, responding to, and managing the direction of their reports.
* Overseeing the Welsh Government's relationship with Audit Wales in matters relating to the NHS.
* The training and development of the medical workforce, excluding the higher education years 1-5 of Doctors
* Health and social care research and development
* Digital health and health innovation
* Mental health services
* Suicide prevention
* Dementia
* Autism
* Gambling problem-related health impacts
* Substance misuse
* Health of the armed forces and veterans
* Strategy for Obesity
* Food Standards Agency in Wales, including food safety
* Genetically modified food (but not genetically modified crops)
* Experience of patients, their involvement, and the citizens' voices
* Safeguarding
* Services for Adoption and Foster care
* Advocacy services for children and young people's, such as managing complains, representations, as well as advocacy, under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
* Sharing information under the Children Act 2004
* Cafcass Cymru
* Overseeing and deciding policy regarding social service provision of activities by the local authorities in Wales, including issuing statutory guidance
* Overseeing Social Care Wales
* Regulating domiciliary, residential, adult placements, foster care, under 8's care provision and private healthcare
* Inspecting and reporting the provision of social services by the local authorities in Wales, through the Care Inspectorate Wales, including jointly reviewing social services and responding to any reports
* The rights and entitlements of children and young people, including utilising the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
* Early years, childcare and play, including the "childcare offer" and its workforce
* Early childhood education and care
* Flying Start for children aged 0–3 years
* Policies for Families First and play
The post-holder launched the "National Framework for Social Prescribing" in December 2023, aiming for the consistent delivery of social prescribing. The post-holder also announced in 2023, funding arrangements for Trading Standards Wales, concerning illegal electronic cigarettes, and online therapy services overseen by Powys Teaching Health Board in 2022.