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, mainly overseeing health and social care in England. 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 Yvette Cooper, who has served since 20 July 2026.
Responsibilities Corresponding to what is generally known as a health minister in many other countries, the health and social care 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 with the Department for Education concerning children's social care). matters concerning England's national public health. relations with international health partnerships, including the WHO. Some functions are derived from legislation, for example when the position of Secretary of State for Health was established in 1988, specific functions were allocated to the post-holder drawn from the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1926, the Therapeutic Substances Act 1956, the Professions Supplementary to Medicine Act 1960(26), the National Health Service Act 1966, the Radiological Protection Act 1970, the Child Care Act 1980 and the Food Act 1984.UK Legislation, The Transfer of Functions (Health and Social Security) Order 1988, Schedule 2, made on 26 October 1988, accessed on 6 December 2025
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.
In 2018 the position was incorporated as a corporation sole.
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):
President of the Board of Health (1848–1858) President of the Board Term of office Political party Prime Minister Lord John Russell The Earl of Carlisle 1848 17 April 1849 Whig Lord Seymour 17 April 1849 1 August 1851 Whig Lord Seymour 1 August 1851 21 February 1852 Whig Lord John Manners 4 March 1852 17 December 1852 Conservative The Earl of Derby William Molesworth 5 January 1853 14 October 1854 Radical The Earl of Aberdeen Benjamin Hall 14 October 1854 13 August 1855 Whig The Viscount Palmerston William Cowper 13 August 1855 9 February 1857 Whig William Monsell 9 February 1857 24 September 1857 Whig William Cowper 24 September 1857 21 February 1858 Whig Charles Adderley 8 March 1858 1 September 1858 Conservative The Earl of Derby Board of Health abolished in 1858; responsibilities transferred tothe Privy Council (1858–1871), then the Local Government Board (1871–1919).
Minister of Health (1919–1968) Minister Term of office Political partyMinistry Christopher Addison 24 June 1919 1 April 1921 LiberalLloyd George II Alfred Mond 1 April 1921 19 October 1922 Liberal Arthur Griffith-Boscawen 24 October 1922 7 March 1923 ConservativeLaw Neville Chamberlain 7 March 1923 27 August 1923 ConservativeBaldwin I William Joynson-Hicks 27 August 1923 22 January 1924 Conservative John Wheatley 22 January 1924 3 November 1924 LabourMacDonald I Neville Chamberlain 6 November 1924 4 June 1929 ConservativeBaldwin II Arthur Greenwood 7 June 1929 24 August 1931 LabourMacdonald II Neville Chamberlain 25 August 1931 5 November 1931 ConservativeNational I Hilton Young 5 November 1931 7 June 1935 ConservativeNational II Kingsley Wood 7 June 1935 16 May 1938 ConservativeNational IIINational IV Walter Elliot 16 May 1938 13 May 1940 UnionistChamberlain War Malcolm MacDonald 13 May 1940 8 February 1941 National LabourChurchill War Ernest Brown 8 February 1941 11 November 1943 National Liberal Henry Willink 11 November 1943 26 July 1945 ConservativeChurchill Caretaker Aneurin Bevan 3 August 1945 17 January 1951 LabourAttlee IAttlee II Hilary Marquand 17 January 1951 26 October 1951 Labour Harry Crookshank 30 October 1951 7 May 1952 ConservativeChurchill III Iain Macleod 7 May 1952 20 December 1955 ConservativeEden Robin Turton 20 December 1955 16 January 1957 Conservative Dennis Vosper 16 January 1957 17 September 1957 ConservativeMacmillan IDerek Walker-Smith17 September 195727 July 1960ConservativeMacmillan II Enoch Powell 27 July 1960 20 October 1963 Conservative Anthony Barber 20 October 1963 16 October 1964 ConservativeDouglas-Home Kenneth Robinson 18 October 1964 1 November 1968 LabourWilson I Post merged with Ministry for Social Security in 1968.
Secretary of State for Social Services (1968–1988)
Secretary of State Term of office Political party Ministry Richard Crossman 1 November 1968 19 June 1970 LabourWilson II Keith Joseph 20 June 1970 4 March 1974 ConservativeHeath Barbara Castle 5 March 1974 8 April 1976 LabourWilson III David Ennals 8 April 1976 4 May 1979 LabourCallaghan Patrick Jenkin 5 May 1979 14 September 1981 ConservativeThatcher I Norman Fowler 14 September 1981 13 June 1987 ConservativeThatcher II John Moore 13 June 1987 25 July 1988 ConservativeThatcher 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 Political party Ministry Kenneth Clarke 25 July 1988 2 November 1990 ConservativeThatcher III William Waldegrave 2 November 1990 10 April 1992 ConservativeMajor I Virginia Bottomley 10 April 1992 5 July 1995 ConservativeMajor II Stephen Dorrell 5 July 1995 2 May 1997 Conservative Frank Dobson 3 May 1997 11 October 1999 LabourBlair I Alan Milburn 11 October 1999 13 June 2003 LabourBlair II John Reid 13 June 2003 6 May 2005 Labour Patricia Hewitt 6 May 2005 28 June 2007 LabourBlair III Alan Johnson 28 June 2007 5 June 2009 Labour Brown Andy Burnham 5 June 2009 11 May 2010 Labour Andrew Lansley 11 May 2010 4 September 2012 Conservative Cameron–Clegg Jeremy Hunt 4 September 2012 8 January 2018 ConservativeCameron IIMay IMay II
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (2018–present) Secretary of State Term of office Political partyMinistry Jeremy Hunt 8 January 2018 9 July 2018 ConservativeMay II Matt Hancock 9 July 2018 26 June 2021 Conservative Johnson I Johnson II Sajid Javid 26 June 2021 5 July 2022 Conservative Steve Barclay 5 July 20226 September 2022 Conservative Thérèse Coffey6 September 202225 October 2022 ConservativeTruss Steve Barclay25 October 202213 November 2023 Conservative Sunak Victoria Atkins13 November 20235 July 2024 Conservative Wes Streeting5 July 202414 May 2026 Labour Starmer James Murray14 May 202620 July 2026 Labour Yvette Cooper 20 July 2026 Incumbent Labour Burnham
Timeline
See also Health and Social Care minister Minister of Health
References
External links