Small community care homes in Wales are “national treasures” that the nation cannot afford to lose, a social care champion has warned.

Mario Kreft MBE has used his place among the UK care sector’s most influential leaders to urge the new Welsh Government to protect care homes at the heart of their communities.

The Care Forum Wales chair said his inclusion in Care Home Professional magazine’s 2026 Power 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.

The call also chimes with Plaid Cymru’s pledge to champion homegrown Welsh small and medium-sized businesses.

Mr Kreft believes that the care homes and services rooted in local communities across Wales are exactly the kind of enterprises the new government has promised to cherish and support.

He said: “With the new Plaid government in Cardiff, there is an opportunity for a new beginning to highlight the fantastic work done by small and local businesses who provide the backbone of social care in Wales.

“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.

“The Prime Minister has spoken negatively recently about private equity funded care homes. I don’t agree that’s an issue in Wales where the typical example is a family-run operation with one or two homes.

“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.

“They are family-run Welsh businesses and it’s been heartening to hear that the new Welsh Government see the importance and value of homegrown  companies like this.

“That’s why it was pleasing to be named by Care Home Professional among this small group of people who are providing or are involved in social care.”

Mr Kreft, who is also the owner of the award-winning Pendine Park care organisation which has nine homes in North Wales, was awarded the MBE for his contribution to social care in Wales and was honoured with a Recognising Achievement Award by the Welsh Government at the St David’s Awards for his innovative work in health and social care.

“I have always stood up for small independent businesses because we started with just one care home with 14 beds so I could look after my grandparents and Gill’s granddad,” he added.

“We’re now one of the top five companies in Wales but we are tiny when compared with some of the giant organisations in England.

“Some of these big organisations are run by friends of mine and they are doing incredibly well but I think there is a specific issue for Wales with a new government that is not yet persuaded by the arguments to support independent care businesses  and is seeking to create a national care service.

“We need to demonstrate that the independent sector in Wales is an important part of that solution, whether care homes and home care companies are run by private companies or charities.

“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 and we have always in Care Forum Wales, and I have personally, been interested in supporting the little guy.

“One of many examples is Meryl Welsby who has run a care home in the rural community of Pentrefoelas in Conwy and has been providing care for more than 30 years.

“That’s a vital community resource that has and to grow to around 30 beds to be sustainable, homegrown service – it’s s exactly the kind of company that Plaid Cymru are talking.

“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.

“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.

“Nobody is going to build a new 30 bed home in rural area because it would not be financially viable whoever is running it – because costs of gone up and regulation is more onerous.

“We see cases time and time again where people are moved by the NHS and I know of one person from North Wales who was recently placed in a home in Bristol. It’s utter madness. What is the sense of taking people from their community.

“I’m all in favour of  anybody developing new services but it’s critically important that we don’t lose the vital services we already have.

“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. I would suggest that he should look at the sector in that light.

“Predominantly, people in Wales who need care need state support through local authority or health board funding

“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.

“So we are urging Plaid’s Senedd members to visit their local care homes and speak to the residents and staff who work in them and understand first hand how it alleviates pressure on our hospitals.

“This is about local people living and working together in their communities providing essential services that underpin the NHS in Wales.”