Health Impact Assessment (HIA) regulations

The Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Regulations in Wales set out the legal requirements laid by Welsh Government for assessing how proposed strategic decisions may impact on people’s health and well-being. They are designed to ensure that decision-making across the public sector in Wales takes account of potential health impacts – both positive and unintended negative – before action is taken and inform decision making. It is also intended to ensure that health inequalities are considered as part of these decisions.

The Regulations are being introduced as part of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017, which sets out the requirement for statutory HIAs by public bodies in Wales in specific circumstances.

These Regulations apply only to public bodies in Wales.

Further information on the Regulations, can be found on Welsh Government’s website:

If you have a specific query on the Regulations please contact Welsh Government: [email protected]

How can Public Health Wales support you?

Public Health Wales and WHIASU provides a range of support which includes a HIA guide as well as tools, training and capacity-building support to help public bodies understand the purpose of and apply HIA.

We do not have a regulatory, approval, or enforcement role under the Regulations. Responsibility for complying with the Regulations rests with the relevant public bodies.

Available support:

Any requests for support are subject to capacity. Support provided by Public Health Wales and WHIASU is for guidance only and does not constitute legal advice or a definitive interpretation of the law. Organisations should refer to the Regulations in full and seek independent advice where appropriate.

Further information can be found on our website: https://phwwhocc.co.uk/whiasu/

Public Health Wales and WHIASU cannot:

Responsibility of public bodies subject to the Regulations:

The Wales Health Impact Assessment Support Unit (WHIASU) has published two practical guides to assist:

  1. public bodies in undertaking statutory Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) in Wales, and
  2. those who wish to carry out voluntary HIAs and highlight best practice to support and complement the statutory guide.

These guides outline a structured, evidence-based process designed to support consistent and effective HIA practice. Each guide includes templates, checklists, and links to additional resources to facilitate the HIA process.

The Guide for Public Bodies provides step-by-step guidance for public bodies required to carry out HIAs under the HIA regulations in Wales. Alongside the guide, an animation has also been developed to outline the key requirements for public bodies.

The Voluntary Guide replaces the previous HIA: A Practical Guide produced by WHIASU in 2012 and outlines best-practice steps for undertaking voluntary HIAs.

All of the above resources can be used alongside our updated e Learning course, ‘The Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Process: Voluntary HIAs and Best Practice’, to support the completion of high-quality and impactful HIAs. This revised course introduces learners to HIA in Wales, including the types, timing and principles of HIA, the health and well-being aspects, the HIA process and associated tools, as well as further reading and case study examples. It is designed to complement the Voluntary HIA Guide. An additional e Learning course to support the Guide for Public Bodies will be launched in autumn 2026.

To access the e-learning course:

Publications

HIA Reports

Training and Network

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