Devolution by Degrees

This regular legal column reflects on legal issues which are relevant to health and social care policy in general, and integrated care in particular. Policy developments do not take place in a vacuum and need to take account of the legal framework and the latest case law; equally, changes in policy drive changes in the legal framework, so the law never stands still. Recent articles in this journal have compared the English and Scottish experiences (Vol 16 issue 5; Vol 17 issue 1) and reflected on the experience in Northern Ireland (Vol 17 issue 5) but there has not been so much attention to the implications of devolution in Wales. This article offers a legal perspective on the changes that have taken place over the last ten years, and looks ahead to Wales making its own legislation in a wide area of health and social care policy.