Amid the debate over the future of social care in Wales, one truth should not be overlooked: the small, community-based care homes that serve towns and villages across the country are among our most valuable public assets.

Across mid and west Wales, these homes do far more than provide beds and support for older people. They are deeply rooted in the communities they serve, employing local people, supporting local economies and ensuring that vulnerable residents can remain close to family, friends and familiar surroundings.

Care Forum Wales chair Mario Kreft is right to describe these services as “national treasures”. In an era when public services are under immense strain, small care homes quietly provide a crucial safety net. They ease pressure on hospitals, assist health boards, and offer compassionate, personalised care that is often only possible in a community setting.

Across rural Wales, families know the importance of having a loved one cared for nearby. Regular visits, familiar accents, local knowledge and longstanding relationships all contribute to residents’ wellbeing. Yet too often the value of these services is only appreciated when they face closure. Once a local care home is lost, it is rarely replaced.

That is particularly true in rural communities such as those found across mid and west Wales. Rising costs, workforce pressures and increasing regulatory demands have made it harder for small providers to survive. The prospect of a National Care Service raises important questions about how these independent homes will fit into the future landscape. Whatever reforms lie ahead, policymakers must recognise that success should be measured by quality of care and community benefit, not ownership structure alone.

The new Welsh Government has rightly spoken about supporting homegrown businesses. Few sectors embody that ambition more than independent care providers, many of which are family-run enterprises with decades of service behind them.

As Wales reshapes its care system, ministers should heed the call to visit these homes, meet residents and speak with staff. They will quickly discover what communities already know: small care homes are not merely businesses. They are lifelines, employers, community hubs and guardians of dignity in later life.

They deserve not just warm words, but lasting support.