Welsh belongs to us all. It doesn’t matter whether you have a little or a lot, your Welsh belongs here. You might use Welsh every day, be learning, know a few words, or be taking your first steps. Every word matters, and everyone can help Welsh be spoken, heard and seen in the workplace.
At Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), we want Welsh to feel visible, welcome and easy to use. We are creating an environment where staff, learners, partners and members of the public can choose Welsh with confidence.
Using Welsh can help people feel recognised, understood and able to take part fully. It also supports inclusive, accessible and person-centred services, education and workforce development.
Our work is supported by the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, the Welsh Language Standards that apply to HEIW, and the More Than Just Words framework for health and social care.
Our Welsh Language Unit is here to make using Welsh easier. We offer practical support to help colleagues plan Welsh into their work from the beginning, rather than adding it at the end.
We offer:
Explore More Than Just Words and the latest annual report
People should not have to ask whether they can use Welsh. The Active Offer means making Welsh language services clearly available from the outset.
For HEIW, this means:
The Active Offer is something everyone can support. A friendly greeting, a clear language choice or confidently involving a Welsh-speaking colleague can all help create a positive experience.
The Welsh Language Standards give people the right to use Welsh and require organisations to ensure Welsh is not treated less favourably than English.
The Standards that apply to HEIW came into force on 1 October 2026.
The Standards cover:
We build these duties into how we plan, communicate, make decisions, support our workforce, and deliver our work.
Our Compliance Notice lists the individual Welsh Language Standards that apply to HEIW and explains when we must comply with them.
Read HEIW’s Welsh Language Standards Compliance Notice
Your feedback helps us learn and improve. We welcome comments about what works well and where we could make it easier to use Welsh.
If you believe that we have not met our Welsh language duties, you can raise a concern or complaint through HEIW’s complaints process. We will consider complaints about Welsh in line with our published arrangements.
You can also contact the Welsh Language Commissioner.
Visit the Welsh Language Commissioner’s website
Find out more about our commitments, duties and progress:
Whether you have a question about our Welsh language services, would like advice, or wish to discuss how we can support the use of Welsh, our team is here to help.
Email: HEIW.Translations@wales.nhs.uk
You can contact us in Welsh or English. We will treat both languages equally, and using Welsh will not lead to any delay.