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.[1]

United Kingdom
Minister of State for Health
Incumbent
Karin Smyth
since 8 July 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
StyleMinister
NominatorPrime Minister of the United Kingdom
AppointerThe Monarch
on advice of the Prime Minister
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Formation1970
First holderMorys Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare
Websitehttps://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--59

The role was part of the Department for Health and Social Security under the Secretary of State for Social Services until 1988.[2]

Responsibilities

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The minister is responsible for the following:[3]

  • 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:

List of ministers of state for health

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Name Portrait 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)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Department of Health and Social Care". www.parallelparliament.co.uk. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Records created or inherited by the Department of Health and Social Security and related bodies". The National Archives. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Minister of State (Minister for Health) - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 October 2020.