The Minister of State for Social Care is a mid-level position in the Department of Health and Social Care in the British government. The minister is in charge of social care in England.
History In the 1960s, the role was known as Minister of State for Social Services in the Department of Social Security.
The position was created in 2006, with Ivan Lewis being made Minister of State for Care Services.
After the Conservative victory in the 2015 United Kingdom general election Alistair Burt returned to Government as Minister of State for Care and Support in the Department of Health. In July 2016, Burt announced that he would be resigning from his Ministerial position, "Twenty-four years and one month ago, I answered my first question as a junior minister in oral questions and I’ve just completed my last oral questions," Burt said. It was made clear that his resignation was not related to Brexit.
The position was given to David Mowat and renamed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Care and Support. David Mowat lost his Warrington South seat in the snap 2017 general election. He was not replaced until 2018 when Prime Minister Theresa May appointed Caroline Dinenage as the new Minister of Care. Dinenage stayed in her role when Boris Johnson became Prime Minister and served in the First Johnson ministry and into the Second Johnson ministry.
As part of the 2020 British cabinet reshuffle, a number of junior ministers were moved around. Dinenage was made the new Minister of State for Digital and Culture. Helen Whately was her replacement. Helen Whatley has been in charge of government response to social care during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, particularly in reference to vaccination deployment.
Responsibilities The Minister of State for Social Care leads on the following:
adult social care: winter planning for adult social care funding and markets (charging reform) quality (system reform) workforce integration, including discharge community health services major diseases: cancer diabetes strokes rare diseases screening dementia end-of-life care COVID-19 vaccine licensing long-term conditions
Minister of State for Social Care NamePortraitTook officeLeft officePolitical partyPrime MinisterMinister of State for Social ServicesStephen Swingler MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme1 November 196819 February 1969LabourHarold WilsonDavid Ennals MP for Dover1 November 196819 June 1970LabourHarold WilsonBaroness Serota25 February 196919 June 1970LabourHarold WilsonMinister of State for Care ServicesIvan Lewis MP for Bury South15 May 20063 October 2008LabourTony BlairGordon BrownPhil Hope MP for Corby5 October 200811 May 2010LabourGordon BrownPaul Burstow MP for Sutton and Cheam11 May 20104 September 2012Liberal DemocratDavid CameronMinister of State for Care and SupportNorman Lamb MP for North Norfolk4 September 20128 May 2015Liberal DemocratDavid CameronMinister of State for Community and Social CareAlistair Burt MP for North East Bedfordshire11 May 201515 July 2016ConservativeDavid CameronParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Care and SupportDavid Mowat MP for Warrington South14 July 20169 June 2017ConservativeTheresa MayMinister of State for Social CareCaroline Dinenage MP for Gosport9 January 201813 February 2020ConservativeTheresa MayBoris JohnsonHelen Whately MP for Faversham and Mid Kent13 February 202016 September 2021ConservativeBoris JohnsonMinister of State for Care and Mental HealthGillian Keegan MP for Chichester16 September 20218 September 2022 ConservativeBoris JohnsonMinister of State for Health and Social CareRobert Jenrick MP for Newark7 September 202225 October 2022ConservativeLiz TrussMinister of State for Social CareHelen Whately MP for Faversham and Mid Kent26 October 20225 July 2024ConservativeRishi SunakMinister of State for CareStephen Kinnock MP for Aberafan Maesteg 8 July 202420 July 2026LabourKeir StarmerMinister of State for Social CareAlison McGovern21 July 2026IncumbentLabourAndy Burnham
References
See also
Health minister