Secretary Of State For Health
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The secretary of state for health and social care, also referred to as the health secretary, is a secretary of state in the
Government of the United Kingdom His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
, responsible for the work of the Department of Health and Social Care. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Since
devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territori ...
in 1999, the position holder's responsibility for the NHS is mainly restricted to the health service in England, whilst the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in the Scottish Government is responsible for NHS Scotland and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in the Welsh Government is responsible for NHS Wales. The position can trace its roots back to the nineteenth century, and has been a secretary of state position since 1968. For 30 years, from 1988 to 2018, the position was titled Secretary of State for Health, before
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Theresa May added "and Social Care" to the designation in the 2018 British cabinet reshuffle. The officeholder works alongside other health and social care ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for health and social care, and the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the Health and Social Care Select Committee. The position is currently held by Wes Streeting, who has served since 5 July 2024.


Responsibilities

Corresponding to what is generally known as a health minister in many other countries, the health secretary's remit includes the following: * Oversight of England's
National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
, including: ** Delivery of care ** Performance ** Fiscal consolidation ** Financial management * Matters concerning England's social care policy (although responsibility is shared with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regarding adult social care, and the Department for Education concerning children's social care). * Matters concerning England's national public health. * Relations with international health partnerships, including the WHO.


History

The first Boards of Health were created by Orders in the
Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
dated 21 June, 14 November, and 21 November 1831. In 1848, a General Board of Health was established with lay members in leadership roles and the first commissioner of woods and forests as its president. In 1854, this board was reconstituted, and the president was appointed separately. However, the board was abolished in 1858, and its function of overseeing local boards was transferred to a new Local Government Act Office within the Home Office. From 1871, that function was transferred to the new Local Government Board. The Ministry of Health was created by the Ministry of Health Act 1919 as a reconstruction of the Local Government Board. Local government functions were eventually transferred to the minister of housing and local government, leaving the Health Ministry in charge of health matters. From 1968, it was amalgamated with the Ministry of Social Security under the secretary of state for social services, until the de-merger of the Department of Health and Social Security on 25 July 1988. Since
devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territori ...
in 1999, the position holder's responsibility for the NHS is mainly restricted to the health service in England, while the holders' counterparts in Scotland and Wales are responsible for the NHS in
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. Prior to devolution, the secretaries of state for Scotland and
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
had those respective responsibilities, but the Department of Health played a larger role than it does now in the coordination of health policy across Great Britain. Health services in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
have always had separate arrangements from the rest of the UK and are currently the responsibility of the health minister in the Northern Ireland Executive. A small number of health issues remain reserved matters, meaning they are not devolved. According to Jeremy Hunt, the department receives more letters than any other government department, and there are 50 officials in the correspondence unit.


List of ministers

Colour key (for political parties):


President of the Board of Health (1848–1858)


Minister of Health (1919–1968)


Secretary of State for Social Services (1968–1988)


Secretary of State for Health (1988–2018)


Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (2018–present)


Timeline


See also

* Health and Social Care minister * Minister of Health


References


External links

* {{Cabinet positions in the United Kingdom Health in the United Kingdom Department of Health and Social Care Ministerial offices in the United Kingdom Health ministers of the United Kingdom