# Minister of State for Health (UK)

The Minister of State for Health is a mid-level position in the Department of Health and Social Care in the British government. The position is currently held by Karin Smyth MP since 8 July 2024. The minister often deputises for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care alongside the Minister of State for Social Care.
The role was part of the Department for Health and Social Security under the Secretary of State for Social Services until 1988.

## Responsibilities

The minister is responsible for the following:
* COVID-19:
** NHS resilience (acute capacity)
** supply (ventilators)
* NHS operational performance
* Long Term Plan Bill
* finance, efficiency and commercial
* NHS capital, land and estates
* transformation
* NHS England mandate
* devolved administrations, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories
* secondary legislation
* departmental management
* EU future relationship and trade
* sponsorship of:
** NHSE
** NHSI

## List of ministers of state for health

| Name | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister |
| Role created out of the Department of Health and Social Security ||||||||
| Minister of State for Health and Social Security ||||||||
| | Morys Bruce 4th Baron Aberdare | 23 June 1970 | 8 January 1974 | Conservative | Edward Heath (I) |
| | Brian O'Malley MP for Rotherham | 8 March 1974 | 6 April 1976 | Labour | Harold Wilson (III) + (IV) |
| | David Owen MP for Plymouth Devonport | 26 July 1974 | 10 September 1976 | Labour | Harold Wilson (III) + (IV) |
| | Stan Orme MP for Salford West | 8 April 1976 | 4 May 1979 | Labour | James Callaghan (I) |
| | Roland Moyle MP for Lewisham East | 10 September 1976 | 4 May 1979 | Labour | James Callaghan (I) |
| Minister of State for Health ||||||||
| | Gerard Vaughan MP for Reading South | 7 May 1979 | 5 March 1982 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher (I) |
| | Kenneth Clarke MP for Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire | 5 March 1982 | 2 September 1985 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher (I) + (II) |
| | Barney Hayhoe MP for Brentford and Isleworth | 2 September 1985 | 10 September 1986 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher (II) |
| | Tony Newton MP for Braintree | 10 September 1986 | 25 July 1988 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher (II) + (III) |
| | David Mellor MP for Putney | 25 July 1988 | 27 October 1989 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher (III) |
| | Anthony Trafford Baron Trafford | 29 July 1989 | 16 September 1989 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher (III) |
| | Virginia Bottomley MP for South West Surrey | 28 October 1989 | 10 April 1992 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher (III) John Major (I) |
| | Brian Mawhinney MP for Peterborough | 14 April 1992 | 20 July 1994 | Conservative | John Major (II) |
| | Gerry Malone MP for Winchester | 20 July 1994 | May 1997 | Conservative | John Major (II) |
| Minister of State for Health Services ||||||||
| | Alan Milburn MP for Darlington | May 1997 | 30 December 1998 | Labour | Tony Blair (I) |
| | John Denham MP for Southampton Itchen | 30 December 1998 | 11 June 2001 | Labour | Tony Blair (I) |
| | Jacqui Smith MP for Redditch | June 2001 | June 2003 | Labour | Tony Blair (II) |
| | Rosie Winterton MP for Doncaster Central | June 2003 | May 2005 | Labour | Tony Blair (II) |
| | John Hutton MP for Barrow and Furness | June 2003 | May 2005 | Labour | Tony Blair (II) |
| Minister of State for Quality and Patient Safety ||||||||
| | Jane Kennedy MP for Liverpool Wavertree | 10 May 2005 | 8 May 2006 | Labour | Tony Blair (III) |
| Minister of State for Health ||||||||
| | Andy Burnham MP for Leigh, Greater Manchester | 8 May 2006 | 28 June 2007 | Labour | Tony Blair (III) |
| | Ben Bradshaw MP for Exeter | 28 June 2007 | 5 June 2009 | Labour | Gordon Brown (I) |
| | Mike O'Brien MP for North Warwickshire | 8 June 2009 | 11 May 2010 | Labour | Gordon Brown (I) |
| | Philip Dunne MP for Ludlow | 15 July 2016 | 9 January 2018 | Conservative | Theresa May (I) + (II) |
| | Steve Barclay MP for North East Cambridgeshire | 9 January 2018 | 16 November 2018 | Conservative | Theresa May (II) |
| | Stephen Hammond MP for Wimbledon | 16 November 2018 | 25 July 2019 | Conservative | Theresa May (II) Boris Johnson (I) |
| | Chris Skidmore MP for Kingswood | 24 July 2019 | 10 September 2019 | Conservative | Boris Johnson (I) |
| | Edward Argar MP for Charnwood | 10 September 2019 | 6 July 2022 | Conservative | Boris Johnson (I) + (II) |
| | Maria Caulfield MP for Lewes | 7 July 2022 | 7 September 2022 | Conservative | Boris Johnson (II) |
| | Will Quince MP for Colchester | 8 September 2022 | 26 October 2022 | Conservative | Liz Truss (I) |
| Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care ||||||||
| | Will Quince MP for Colchester | 26 October 2022 | 13 November 2023 | Conservative | Rishi Sunak (I) |
| | Andrew Stephenson MP for Pendle | 13 November 2023 | 5 July 2024 | Conservative | Rishi Sunak (I) |
| Minister of State for Health ||||||||
| | Karin Smyth MP for Bristol South | 8 July 2024 | Incumbent | Labour | Keir Starmer (I) |