Small Powys care homes are ‘national treasures’, says social care champion
‘We are blessed in Wales to have lots of services close to people's homes in their communities’
Small community care homes in Powys are "national treasures" that Wales cannot afford to lose, a social care champion has warned.
Mario Kreft MBE has used his place on Care Home Professional magazine's 2026 Power List to urge the new Welsh Government to protect care homes at the heart of local communities.
The Care Forum Wales chair said his inclusion on the list came at a crucial time, with a new Plaid Cymru government in Cardiff and plans for a National Care Service placing the future of independent providers in the spotlight.
He also said the call fitted with Plaid Cymru's pledge to support homegrown Welsh small and medium-sized businesses.
Mr Kreft said most care homes in Wales were small, independent operations, often run by people who lived in the communities they served.
"The average size of a care home in Wales is 40 beds and the vast majority of them are owned and run by people, many of whom live in their local communities across the nation," he said.
"These dedicated people are proud to live in their community and serve their community, creating jobs, providing vital services, without which the NHS would cease to function."
Mr Kreft, who owns the Pendine Park care organisation in North Wales, said independent care businesses needed to be recognised as part of the solution as the Welsh Government considers a National Care Service.
He said: "The most important thing is that the people of Wales are caring for their own people, creating many local jobs.
"These are real community assets, rooted in their own communities."
He highlighted the example of Meryl Welsby, who has run a care home in the rural community of Pentrefoelas in Conwy for more than 30 years.
Mr Kreft warned that without proper support, small rural care homes could disappear.
"But if they are not properly supported within a National Care Service they will not be able to survive – and once they are gone, they are gone," he said.
"Nobody is going to build a new 30 bed home in rural area because it would not be financially viable whoever is running it."
He said the loss of local care homes could also mean people being placed away from their communities, highlighting a case of a North Wales resident recently being moved to a care home in Bristol.
"We are blessed in Wales to have lots of services close to people's homes in their communities so you don't have to travel far to visit your loved ones," he said.
Mr Kreft is urging Plaid Cymru members of the Senedd to visit care homes in their areas and speak to residents and staff to understand their role in supporting the NHS.
"My message to the First Minister, as Plaid said in its manifesto, is that Welsh companies should be cherished and supported because they provide investment and jobs, along with vital services in the case of social care," he said.
"I hope, with colleagues, to be able to convince Plaid Cymru that supporting these national treasures is a very sensible thing to do, whichever way you look at it."