The Minister of State for Health (Secondary Care) 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 NamePortraitTook officeLeft officePolitical partyPrime MinisterRole created out of the Department of Health and Social SecurityMinister of State for Health and Social SecurityMorys Bruce 4th Baron Aberdare23 June 19708 January 1974ConservativeEdward Heath
(I)Brian O'Malley MP for Rotherham8 March 19746 April 1976LabourHarold Wilson (III) + (IV)David Owen MP for Plymouth Devonport26 July 197410 September 1976LabourStan Orme MP for Salford West8 April 19764 May 1979LabourJames Callaghan (I)Roland Moyle
MP for Lewisham East10 September 19764 May 1979LabourMinister of State for HealthGerard Vaughan MP for Reading South7 May 19795 March 1982ConservativeMargaret Thatcher
(I)Kenneth Clarke
MP for Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire5 March 19822 September 1985ConservativeMargaret Thatcher
(I) + (II)Barney Hayhoe MP for Brentford and Isleworth2 September 198510 September 1986ConservativeMargaret Thatcher
(II)Tony Newton MP for Braintree10 September 198625 July 1988ConservativeMargaret Thatcher (II) + (III)David Mellor MP for Putney25 July 198827 October 1989ConservativeMargaret Thatcher
(III)Anthony TraffordBaron Trafford29 July 198916 September 1989ConservativeVirginia Bottomley MP for South West Surrey28 October 198910 April 1992ConservativeMargaret Thatcher (III)
John Major (I)Brian Mawhinney
MP for Peterborough14 April 199220 July 1994ConservativeJohn Major (II)Gerry Malone
MP for Winchester20 July 1994May 1997ConservativeMinister of State for Health ServicesAlan Milburn
MP for DarlingtonMay 199730 December 1998LabourTony Blair (I)John Denham
MP for Southampton Itchen30 December 199811 June 2001LabourJacqui Smith
MP for RedditchJune 2001June 2003LabourTony Blair (II)Rosie Winterton
MP for Doncaster CentralJune 2003May 2005LabourJohn Hutton MP for Barrow and FurnessJune 2003May 2005LabourMinister of State for Quality and Patient SafetyJane Kennedy MP for Liverpool Wavertree10 May 20058 May 2006LabourTony Blair (III)Minister of State for Delivery and ReformAndy Burnham MP for Leigh8 May 200628 June 2007LabourTony Blair (III)Minister of State for Health ServicesBen Bradshaw MP for Exeter28 June 20075 June 2009LabourGordon Brown (I)Mike O'Brien MP for North Warwickshire8 June 200911 May 2010LabourSimon Burns12 May 20104 September 2012ConservativeDavid CameronParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health ServicesDan Poulter4 September 201212 May 2015ConservativeDavid CameronBen Gummer12 May 201514 July 2016ConservativeDavid CameronMinister of State for HealthPhilip Dunne MP for Ludlow15 July 20169 January 2018ConservativeTheresa May
+ Steve Barclay MP for North East Cambridgeshire9 January 201816 November 2018ConservativeTheresa MayStephen Hammond MP for Wimbledon16 November 201825 July 2019ConservativeTheresa May
Boris Johnson
(I)Chris Skidmore MP for Kingswood24 July 201910 September 2019ConservativeBoris Johnson (I)Edward Argar MP for Charnwood10 September 20196 July 2022ConservativeBoris Johnson (I) + (II)Maria Caulfield MP for Lewes7 July 20227 September 2022ConservativeBoris Johnson (II)Will Quince MP for Colchester8 September 202226 October 2022ConservativeLiz Truss (I)Minister of State for Health and Secondary CareWill Quince MP for Colchester26 October 202213 November 2023ConservativeRishi Sunak (I)Andrew Stephenson MP for Pendle13 November 20235 July 2024ConservativeKarin Smyth MP for Bristol South8 July 2024IncumbentLabourKeir Starmer (I)
Andy Burnham
(I)
See also
Health minister
References