What Llais Cymru does

Llais Cymru is the statutory independent citizen voice body for health and social care in Wales, established in 2023 under Welsh law to replace the former Community Health Councils (CHCs). Headquartered in Cardiff with 7 regional offices covering all Welsh health board regions, the organization employs approximately 45 staff and operates bilingually in English and Welsh. Its primary purpose is to represent the views and experiences of people using NHS and social care services in Wales, ensuring that public feedback influences the planning and delivery of health and social care.

The core service is the "Listening to People" complaints advocacy process, which provides free, independent support to individuals raising concerns about NHS or social care services through structured listening discussions, early resolution, and formal investigation stages. The organization supplements this with the "Have Your Say" digital engagement platform, a program of community engagement events, and published reports (including People's Principles derived from public feedback) that feed into health and social care policy. The technology stack is a content-managed public sector website (llaiswales.org / llaiscymru.org) with WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility compliance (tested May 2025) and Cyber Essentials certification; no APIs, mobile applications, or AI capabilities are offered.

The business model is that of a publicly funded statutory body rather than a commercial enterprise. Llais is financed by the Welsh Government and provides all services free of charge to the public; it has no disclosed commercial revenue, no parent company, no investment funding, and operates independently of commercial ownership structures. The organization is governed by a Board chaired by Professor Medwin Hughes DL, with Alyson Thomas serving as Chief Executive. Revenue concentration on a single government funder is the defining structural feature.

Name

Llais Cymru

Legal name

Llais Cymru (Citizen Voice Body Wales)

Website

https://llaiswales.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Statutory citizen voice body for health and social care in Wales, providing free independent complaints advocacy through the Listening to People process. Established 2023 to replace Community Health Councils, serving Welsh residents via 7 regional offices and a bilingual digital engagement platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Llais Cymru (the Citizen Voice Body for Wales) is an independent statutory body that provides free complaints advocacy services and public engagement for people using NHS and social care services in Wales. It supports individuals through the Listening to People NHS complaints process via trained advocates, collects public feedback on health and social care experiences, and publishes reports to inform service improvement. The organisation operates through seven regional offices across Wales and a bilingual English-Welsh online platform.

Product overview

Llais Cymru operates as a single unified advocacy service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is the Listening to People complaints advocacy service, which provides free independent support to help people raise concerns about NHS and social care services in Wales. This service is delivered through regional offices across Wales and includes guidance through the Listening Discussion process, early resolution support, and formal investigation assistance. Additional services include the Have Your Say engagement platform for collecting public feedback and a program of community engagement activities resulting in published reports on health and social care experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Listening to People Complaints Advocacy Service Free, independent advocacy service that supports people across Wales to raise concerns about NHS and social care services through a structured process including listening discussions, early resolution, and formal investigation. Delivered by trained advocates for any member of the public in Wales.
• Complaints Advocacy Service Free, independent advocacy service for individuals in Wales who want to raise concerns about health and social care services. Trained advocates guide users through the NHS complaints process under the Listening to People framework.
• Have Your Say Platform Online portal that enables people in Wales to share experiences of health and social care services, submit concerns, and provide feedback to help shape service improvement.
• Community Engagement and Reports Programme of regional visits, public forums, and engagement events across Wales that produce published reports on health and social care issues to inform decision-makers and drive service improvements.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• POhWER: One of the largest independent advocacy organisations in the UK, delivering NHS complaints advocacy alongside other advocacy services. Comparable to Llais's complaints advocacy and engagement offering, with a wider geographic footprint.
• Scottish Health Council: Part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland, it ensures NHS Scotland listens to the public. Mirrors Llais's role as a national citizen engagement and complaints advocacy body for health services in Scotland.
• VoiceAbility: UK-wide advocacy charity delivering independent complaints advocacy, particularly for NHS and social care. Directly comparable to Llais's complaints advocacy function, though operating as a charity rather than a statutory body.
• Patient and Client Council (Northern Ireland): Statutory body in Northern Ireland providing an independent voice on health and social care. Functions as the closest equivalent to Llais Cymru within the UK's devolved health systems.
• Healthwatch England: Statutory independent champion for users of health and social care services in England. Directly comparable to Llais Cymru in mandate (citizen voice body), but operating at England-wide rather than Wales-wide scope.

Regional players

• Children's Commissioner for Wales: Independent statutory body promoting and protecting children's rights in Wales, including on health matters. Comparable to Llais as another independent statutory Wales-based body that amplifies citizen voice to decision-makers.
• Older People's Commissioner for Wales: Independent statutory commissioner for older people in Wales, working on issues including health and social care. Comparable as a Wales-based, statutory citizen-focused body with overlapping engagement territory.

Broad incumbents

• Healthcare Improvement Scotland: Larger statutory organization with broader improvement and inspection duties across Scottish health services; the Scottish Health Council sits within it. Comparable as a public-sector health oversight and improvement body.
• Care Quality Commission (CQC): England's independent regulator of health and adult social care. Comparable in independence and statutory remit, though it has a regulatory/inspection role rather than a citizen voice/advocacy remit.
• Public Services Ombudsman for Wales: Independent body investigating complaints about public services in Wales, including the NHS. Adjacent to Llais's complaints advocacy remit, though operating at the formal investigation/escalation stage rather than initial advocacy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Llais_Wales
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@llais_cymru
• Facebookfacebook.com/llaiswales
• Instagraminstagram.com/llais_wales
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/llais-cymru

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Llais Cymru