# Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

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. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.
Since devolution 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 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, 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 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 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.

## 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 | President of the Board | President of the Board | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister |
| As First Commissioner of Woods and Forests | As First Commissioner of Woods and Forests | As First Commissioner of Woods and Forests | As First Commissioner of Woods and Forests | As First Commissioner of Woods and Forests | As First Commissioner of Woods and Forests | Lord John Russell |
| | | The Earl of Carlisle | 1848 | 17 April 1849 | Whig | Lord John Russell |
| | | Lord Seymour MP for Totnes | 17 April 1849 | 1 August 1851 | Whig | Lord John Russell |
| Lord John Russell ||||||
| | | Lord Seymour MP for Totnes | 1 August 1851 | 21 February 1852 | Whig | Lord John Russell |
| | | 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) |
| The Earl of Aberdeen (Coalition) ||||||
| | | Benjamin Hall MP for Marylebone | 14 October 1854 | 13 August 1855 | Whig | The Earl of Aberdeen (Coalition) |
| | | 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 | The Viscount Palmerston |
| | | William Monsell MP for County Limerick | 9 February 1857 | 24 September 1857 | Whig | The Viscount Palmerston |
| | | William Cowper MP for Hertford | 24 September 1857 | 21 February 1858 | Whig | The Viscount Palmerston |
| | | 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 | Minister | Term of office | 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 | Lloyd George II |
| | 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 | 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 | Baldwin I |
| | 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 |
| | Kingsley Wood MP for Woolwich West | 7 June 1935 | 16 May 1938 | Conservative | National IV |
| | Walter Elliot MP for Glasgow Kelvingrove | 16 May 1938 | 13 May 1940 | Unionist | 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 | Churchill War |
| | Henry Willink MP for Croydon North | 11 November 1943 | 26 July 1945 | Conservative | Churchill War |
| | 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 |
| | Aneurin Bevan MP for Ebbw Vale | 3 August 1945 | 17 January 1951 | Labour | Attlee II |
| | Hilary Marquand MP for Middlesbrough East | 17 January 1951 | 26 October 1951 | Labour | Attlee II |
| | 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 | 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 | Eden |
| | 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 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 | Macmillan II |
| | 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 | Secretary of State | Term of office | 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 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 | 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 | 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 | Major II |
| 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 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 | Blair II |
| 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 | Brown |
| 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–Clegg (Con.–L.D.) |
| Jeremy Hunt MP for South West Surrey | 4 September 2012 | 8 January 2018 | Conservative | Cameron II |
| Jeremy Hunt MP for South West Surrey | 4 September 2012 | 8 January 2018 | Conservative | May I |
| Jeremy Hunt MP for South West Surrey | 4 September 2012 | 8 January 2018 | Conservative | May II |

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

| Secretary of State | Term of office | 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 | May II |
| Matt Hancock MP for West Suffolk | 9 July 2018 | 26 June 2021 | Conservative | Johnson I |
| Matt Hancock MP for West Suffolk | 9 July 2018 | 26 June 2021 | Conservative | Johnson II |
| Sajid Javid MP for Bromsgrove | 26 June 2021 | 5 July 2022 | Conservative | Johnson II |
| Steve Barclay MP for North East Cambridgeshire | 5 July 2022 | 6 September 2022 | Conservative | Johnson II |
| 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 | Sunak |
| Wes Streeting MP for Ilford North | 5 July 2024 | Incumbent | Labour | Starmer |