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Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

United Kingdom
Secretary of State
for Health and Social Care
Incumbent
Wes Streeting
since 5 July 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
StyleHealth Secretary
(informal)
The Right Honourable
(within the UK and Commonwealth)
TypeMinister of the Crown
StatusSecretary of State
Member of
Reports toThe Prime Minister
SeatWestminster
NominatorThe Prime Minister
AppointerThe Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Formation
  • 14 October 1854:
    (as President of the Board of Health)
  • 8 January 2018:
    (as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care)
First holderBenjamin Hall
(as President of the Board of Health)
Salary£159,038 per annum (2022)[1]
(including £86,584 MP salary)[2]
Websitewww.gov.uk/government/ministers/secretary-of-state-for-health-and-social-care Edit this at Wikidata

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, responsible for the work of the Department of Health and Social Care.[3] The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

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 Theresa May added "and Social Care" to the designation in the 2018 British cabinet reshuffle.[4]

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.[5]

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, including:
    • Delivery of care
    • Performance
    • Fiscal consolidation
    • Financial management[6]
  • 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 dated 21 June, 14 November, and 21 November 1831. In 1848, a General Board of Health was established with lay members in leadership roles[7] 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.[citation needed]

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 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 and Wales. Prior to devolution, the secretaries of state for Scotland and Wales 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 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.[8]

List of ministers

Colour key (for political parties):
   Whig    Conservative    Radical    Peelite    Liberal    Labour    Unionist    National Labour    National Liberal

President of the Board of Health (1848–1858)

President of the Board Term of office Political party Prime Minister
As First Commissioner of Woods and Forests Lord John Russell
The Earl of Carlisle 1848 17 April 1849 Whig
Lord Seymour
MP for Totnes
17 April 1849 1 August 1851 Whig
As First Commissioner of Works
Lord Seymour
MP for Totnes
1 August 1851 21 February 1852 Whig
Lord John Manners
MP for Colchester
4 March 1852 17 December 1852 Conservative The Earl of Derby
William Molesworth
MP for Southwark
5 January 1853 14 October 1854 Radical The Earl of Aberdeen
(Coalition)
President of the Board of Health
Benjamin Hall
MP for Marylebone
14 October 1854 13 August 1855 Whig
The Viscount Palmerston
William Cowper
MP for Hertford
13 August 1855 9 February 1857 Whig
William Monsell
MP for County Limerick
9 February 1857 24 September 1857 Whig
William Cowper
MP for Hertford
24 September 1857 21 February 1858 Whig
Charles Adderley
MP for Staffordshire Northern
8 March 1858 1 September 1858 Conservative The Earl of Derby
Board of Health abolished in 1858; responsibilities transferred to
the Privy Council (1858–1871), then the Local Government Board (1871–1919).

Minister of Health (1919–1968)

Minister Term of office Political party Ministry
Christopher Addison
MP for Shoreditch
24 June 1919 1 April 1921 Liberal Lloyd George II
Alfred Mond
MP for Swansea West
1 April 1921 19 October 1922 Liberal
Arthur Griffith-Boscawen
MP for Taunton
24 October 1922 7 March 1923
(Lost seat 1922)
Conservative Law
Neville Chamberlain
MP for Birmingham Ladywood
7 March 1923 27 August 1923 Conservative
Baldwin I
William Joynson-Hicks
MP for Twickenham
27 August 1923 22 January 1924 Conservative
John Wheatley
MP for Glasgow Shettleston
22 January 1924 3 November 1924 Labour MacDonald I
Neville Chamberlain
MP for Birmingham Ladywood
then Birmingham Edgbaston
6 November 1924 4 June 1929 Conservative Baldwin II
Arthur Greenwood
MP for Nelson and Colne
7 June 1929 24 August 1931 Labour Macdonald II
Neville Chamberlain
MP for Birmingham Edgbaston
25 August 1931 5 November 1931 Conservative National I
Hilton Young
MP for Sevenoaks
5 November 1931 7 June 1935 Conservative National II
Kingsley Wood
MP for Woolwich West
7 June 1935 16 May 1938 Conservative National III
National IV
Walter Elliot
MP for Glasgow Kelvingrove
16 May 1938 13 May 1940 Unionist
Chamberlain War
Malcolm MacDonald
MP for Ross and Cromarty
13 May 1940 8 February 1941 National Labour Churchill War
Ernest Brown
MP for Leith
8 February 1941 11 November 1943 National Liberal
Henry Willink
MP for Croydon North
11 November 1943 26 July 1945 Conservative
Churchill Caretaker
Aneurin Bevan
MP for Ebbw Vale
3 August 1945 17 January 1951 Labour Attlee I
Attlee II
Hilary Marquand
MP for Middlesbrough East
17 January 1951 26 October 1951 Labour
Harry Crookshank
MP for Gainsborough
30 October 1951 7 May 1952 Conservative Churchill III
Iain Macleod
MP for Enfield West
7 May 1952 20 December 1955 Conservative
Eden
Robin Turton
MP for Thirsk and Malton
20 December 1955 16 January 1957 Conservative
Dennis Vosper
MP for Runcorn
16 January 1957 17 September 1957 Conservative Macmillan I
Derek Walker-Smith
MP for East Hertfordshire
17 September 1957 27 July 1960 Conservative
Macmillan II
Enoch Powell
MP for Wolverhampton South West
27 July 1960 20 October 1963 Conservative
Anthony Barber
MP for Doncaster then Altrincham and Sale
20 October 1963 16 October 1964 Conservative Douglas-Home
Kenneth Robinson
MP for St. Pancras North
18 October 1964 1 November 1968 Labour Wilson I
Post merged with Ministry for Social Security in 1968.

Secretary of State for Social Services (1968–1988)

Secretary of State Term of office Political party Ministry
Richard Crossman
MP for Coventry East
1 November 1968 19 June 1970 Labour Wilson II
Keith Joseph
MP for Leeds North East
20 June 1970 4 March 1974 Conservative Heath
Barbara Castle
MP for Blackburn
5 March 1974 8 April 1976 Labour Wilson III
David Ennals
MP for Norwich North
8 April 1976 4 May 1979 Labour Callaghan
Patrick Jenkin
MP for Wanstead and Woodford
5 May 1979 14 September 1981 Conservative Thatcher I
Norman Fowler
MP for Sutton Coldfield
14 September 1981 13 June 1987 Conservative
Thatcher II
John Moore
MP for Croydon Central
13 June 1987 25 July 1988 Conservative Thatcher III
Post split into Secretary of State for Social Security and Secretary of State for Health in 1988.

Secretary of State for Health (1988–2018)

Secretary of State Term of office Political party Ministry
Kenneth Clarke
MP for Rushcliffe
25 July 1988 2 November 1990 Conservative Thatcher III
William Waldegrave
MP for Bristol West
2 November 1990 10 April 1992 Conservative
Major I
Virginia Bottomley
MP for South West Surrey
10 April 1992 5 July 1995 Conservative Major II
Stephen Dorrell
MP for Loughborough then Charnwood
5 July 1995 2 May 1997 Conservative
Frank Dobson
MP for Holborn and St. Pancras
3 May 1997 11 October 1999 Labour Blair I
Alan Milburn
MP for Darlington
11 October 1999 13 June 2003 Labour
Blair II
John Reid
MP for Hamilton North and Bellshill then Airdrie and Shotts
13 June 2003 6 May 2005 Labour
Patricia Hewitt
MP for Leicester West
6 May 2005 28 June 2007 Labour Blair III
Alan Johnson
MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
28 June 2007 5 June 2009 Labour Brown
Andy Burnham
MP for Leigh
5 June 2009 11 May 2010 Labour
Andrew Lansley
MP for South Cambridgeshire
11 May 2010 4 September 2012 Conservative Cameron–Clegg
(Con.L.D.)
Jeremy Hunt
MP for South West Surrey
4 September 2012 8 January 2018 Conservative
Cameron II
May I
May II

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

Secretary of State Term of office Political party Ministry
Jeremy Hunt
MP for South West Surrey
8 January 2018 9 July 2018 Conservative May II
Matt Hancock
MP for West Suffolk
9 July 2018 26 June 2021 Conservative
Johnson I
Johnson II
Sajid Javid
MP for Bromsgrove
26 June 2021 5 July 2022 Conservative
Steve Barclay
MP for North East Cambridgeshire
5 July 2022 6 September 2022 Conservative
Thérèse Coffey
MP for Suffolk Coastal
6 September 2022 25 October 2022 Conservative Truss
Steve Barclay
MP for North East Cambridgeshire
25 October 2022 13 November 2023 Conservative Sunak
Victoria Atkins
MP for Louth and Horncastle
13 November 2023 5 July 2024 Conservative
Wes Streeting
MP for Ilford North
5 July 2024 Incumbent Labour Starmer

Timeline

Wes StreetingVictoria AtkinsThérèse CoffeySteve BarclaySajid JavidMatt HancockJeremy HuntAndrew LansleyAndy BurnhamAlan JohnsonPatricia HewittJohn Reid, Baron Reid of CardowanAlan MilburnFrank DobsonStephen DorrellVirginia BottomleyWilliam WalegraveKenneth ClarkeJohn Moore, Baron Moore of Lower MarshNorman FowlerPatrick JenkinDavid EnnalsBarbara CastleKeith JosephRichard CrossmanKenneth RobinsonAnthony BarberEnoch PowellDerek Walker-SmithDennis VosperRobin TurtonIain MacleodHarry CrookshankHilary MarquandAneurin BevanHenry WillinkErnest Brown (British politician)Malcom MacDonaldWalter Elliot (Scottish politician)Kingsley WoodHilton YoungArthur GreenwoodJohn WheatleyWilliam Joynson-HicksNeville ChamberlainArthur Griffith-BoscawenAlfred MondChristopher Addison

See also

References

  1. ^ "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Secretary of State for Health and Social Care". gov.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Jeremy Hunt keeps Health Secretary with added social care brief despite overseeing NHS 'winter crisis'". The Independent. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2021. Jeremy Hunt has kept his job as Health Secretary, despite overseeing what is widely viewed as a winter crisis in the NHS. However, Theresa May has added social care to his responsibilities, to signal her determination to sort out one of the biggest issues facing the country.
  5. ^ "Health Secretary answers questions on the Government's handling of the pandemic". UK PARLIAMENT. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2022. Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, answers questions from MPs on the Government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  6. ^ "Secretary of State for Health and Social Care – GOV.UK". gov.uk.
  7. ^ "4 Dec 1848, 5 - The Observer at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  8. ^ Hunt, Jeremy (2022). Zero. London: Swift Press. p. 14. ISBN 9781800751224.