Care & Repair
Conference 2026

Action Today for a Safer Tomorrow

24 September 2026, The Parkgate Hotel, Cardiff

The biggest event in Wales dedicated to older people’s housing.

This year’s conference brings together leaders, practitioners and partners from across Wales to explore how preventative action in health and housing is building a safer tomorrow. As our population ages and pressures on health and care services grow, the role of the home will only become more critical. This conference will shine a light on how early intervention and adaptations make homes safer and more appropriate to the needs of the occupant.

Through expert insight, real-life stories and practical solutions, we will examine how Wales can take a more proactive, preventative approach to supporting older people at home. From reducing risk and avoiding crisis to enabling independence and improving wellbeing, Action Today for a Safer Tomorrow is about turning ambition into action.

Join us to be part of a shared, Wales-wide vision—one where home is not just where we live, but the foundation for living well.

Venue

This year we are in Cardiff!

The conference will take place at The Parkgate Hotel. The full address is: The Parkgate Hotel, Westgate Street, Cardiff CF10 1DA. More information about the venue can be found on the Parkgate Hotel website.

If you have any questions about the event, please email events@careandrepair.org.uk.

Programme

A preliminary programme has been published and includes times, sessions and main speakers. A fuller progamme will be published soon along with details of the workshops.

Book Your Place

When booking you will be asked for the dietary and accessibility requirements for you and all those you are booking for. Therefore, please have this information to hand before booking. Use the form below or click here to go to our Eventbrite page.

Confirmed Speakers

Rhian Bowen-Davies — Older People’s Commissioner for Wales

Rhian was appointed Wales’ first National Adviser for tackling Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence in 2015, independently advising, shaping and informing legislative, strategy and policy developments and driving forward improvements in the prevention, protection and support for all individuals affected by violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence. Before taking up post as Commissioner, Rhian was recognised as an expert Chair of Domestic Homicide Reviews involving older people, and also worked closely with public bodies and third sector organisations across Wales as an independent consultant, delivering a wide range of research and projects on their behalf to improve policy and practice.

Gwynne Jones — Former Managing Director, Cartrefi Conwy

Gwynne had worked in social housing for 33 years until July 2020. He is proud to be currently Chair of Conwy and Denbighshire Care & Repair and has had links to the Care & Repair movement in Wales since 1996. Having worked for local authorities and housing associations in Wales and England, his last role was with Cartrefi Conwy as Managing Director. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Jayne Ellis — Managing Director of EF Training

Jayne has worked in healthcare for over 30 years as a nurse and educator. She is a published author and regularly speaks at conferences and events all over the UK. EF training provides quality, evidence-based training that pro-actively addresses the impact of Compassion Fatigue on individuals and organisations. Having experienced compassion fatigue herself Jayne is acutely aware of the emotional impact that working in any caring role has. She is committed to raising awareness about Compassion Fatigue and campaigns for emotional health and safety to be seen as having equal status to physical health and safety in every organisation.

Conference Exhibitors

AKW

As UK market leaders in accessible bathroom and kitchen solutions, we’re proud to boast a portfolio of over 5,500 products that are intelligently designed by our team of expert in-house engineers to help you create inclusive, practical, yet beautiful spaces that make life better for people living with reduced mobility, dementia, or visual impairment. As experienced manufacturers, our products are independently certified and assessed by third-party organisations and rigorously inspected before dispatch to customers from our distribution hubs which provide reliable next-working-day delivery services.

Arthritis UK

Arthritis UK is the UK’s largest Arthritis charity, dedicated to changing people’s lives through research, campaigning, support, professional education, and leading health information. We provide advice and information to people living with arthritis, or a related MSK condition, at any stage of their journey, helping them navigate life with a long-term condition and to live well with arthritis. We can share practical tips and tricks, answer questions, and signpost you to all of our fantastic services and support, available in Wales and across the UK.

Bellman & Symfon

Bellman & Symfon create assistive listening and alerting devices for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Products include personal listeners, and the Visit Alerting system, which notifies users about important sounds like doorbells, smoke alarms, baby cries, and phone calls through vibrations, flashing lights, and loud sounds. These solutions are designed to enhance safety, independence, and accessibility in daily life.

Carers Wales

Carers Wales exists to make life better for the hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers across Wales, who help to look after family members, friends and neighbours across every part of the nation. It would cost Wales over £10 billion per year to replace the care provided by unpaid carers, yet carers are often forced to forego careers, sacrifice their health and wellbeing and risk financial hardship because of their caring role. We exist to end this injustice by campaigning alongside carers to make change, providing information and advice for carers and supporting employers to be more carer-friendly.

Closomat Ltd

At Closomat, we strive to make life easier for people, regardless of the challenges they face in their intimate toileting needs. We invented the Wash and Dry Toilet over 60 years ago, and tens of thousands of people use our products every day to help make life a little easier. Our products are flexible and customisable, and are designed to meet the needs of the individual both now and in the future.

Easiaccess

Easiaccess are a leading UK modular ramp and step manufacturer, supplier, and fitter. We offer a nationwide supply and installation service. Our metal systems have a fully adjustable design, providing flexibility to suit any building and space. We provide free surveys and quotations, followed with 2D and 3D drawings from our experienced surveyor team with extensive knowledge on the latest regulations and requirements so you can have peace of mind that your access solutions will be fit for purpose and have all the legal requirements.

Ffrâm24

Ffrâm24 is a multi-supplier framework for building materials and associated services. Our ambition as a Wales only Framework is to provide a quality supply chain for Welsh public sector, charities and third sector organisations and in return, support our communities. This provides Wales with a great circular economy and keeping the Welsh pound local. Welsh Government fully endorses Ffrâm24 and supports it as a natural successor to the National Procurement Service (NPS) building materials framework

Gordon Ellis & Co

In existence for over 160 years and still family owned, Gordon Ellis manufactures and supplies high quality Aids for Daily Living. Our award winning range includes furniture raisers, toileting aids, raised toilet seats, outdoor half steps, grab bars and much more. We already work closely with a number of Care & Repair organisations in Wales and look forward to developing new relationships in the sector. We also offer training on products like furniture raisers to fitters, technicians and Occupational Therapists

Hearing Products International Limited

Hearing Products International provide assistive technology for individuals with hearing and sensory loss, such as Personal Listeners, T-Coil Loop Systems, 2in1 TV Listeners, Smoke Detectors with flashing & vibrating pagers, Door Alerts systems with bellpush, telephone signaler, sound sensor, vibrating pager and vibrating bed pad and much more.

HSF Health Plan

HSF Health Plan is a not-for-profit health cash plan provider, owned by The Hospital Saturday Fund charity. Our plans help policyholders claim money back on everyday healthcare costs, while supporting the charity’s work to improve health and wellbeing. Unlike private medical insurance (PMI), HSF Health Plan offers straightforward support with no referrals, no excess, and simple claims. Benefits include dental and optical cover, hospital payments, access to practitioners such as physiotherapists, support for key life events, wellbeing services through HSF Assist®, and everyday savings via HSF Perkbox.

NEST

The Welsh Government Warm Homes Nest scheme offers free, impartial advice and support to all households in Wales. This includes advice on: Making sure you’re on the best energy and water tariff for your home. Accessing any unclaimed benefits to boost your household income. What you can do to lower your carbon footprint. Advice if you’re thinking of installing your own low carbon technology. If a customer is eligible, Nest also offers a package of free home energy efficiency improvements to help lower energy bills and improve health and wellbeing, such as home heating and insulation measures.

Stannah

Stannah is a family-owned business that has been manufacturing stairlifts since 1975 and has sold more than one million globally. We serve thousands of customers nationwide using our two factories, eleven service branches, nine installation depots, and our teams of skilled engineers and sales consultants. We work with local authorities to ensure that we meet their customers’ need for reliable, high quality and safe products, which enable them to continue living independently in their own homes. Our long-established Stannah Stairlift Reuse Scheme enables local authorities to make savings by reconditioning and reusing Stannah stairlifts without compromising on functionality, usability or safety.

Trusted Assessing and Care Training (TACT

TACT (Trusted Assessing and Care Training) is a leading provider of courses, qualifications, consultancy and programmes specialising in assessing for equipment and home adaptations. An accredited provider of Trusted Assessor training, our courses are delivered by OTs experienced in equipment and adaptations. We run regular public courses in north and south Wales and offer tailored commissioned programmes at your premises or nearby. Options include train the trainer programmes for larger organisations with their own OTs able to train and Supervising Trusted Assessor Workshops for in-house OTs. Try us out, we think you will be pleased with our refreshing approach.

Qualia Law

Not-for-profit legal advice and financial safeguarding for vulnerable or neurodiverse people Our professional Court of Protection Deputy and Attorney services help safeguard and protect the property and finances of people who lack capacity or who are unable to manage their own financial affairs. Every Deputyship or Attorneyship is managed by an experienced, specialist Solicitor. However, unlike a traditional law firm, our objective is not to generate profit but to act solely in the best interest of our clients. We provide free, impartial advice and support to families, carers, social care professionals and other third sector organisations. We help navigate the various options available to vulnerable or incapacitated people in order to maximise independence and achieve the best quality of life.

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