Secretary of State for Health and Social Care | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Secretary of State for Health and Social Care | Vacant |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care | Vacant |
| Department | Department of Health and Social Care |
| Reports to | The Prime Minister |
| Member of | Cabinet |
| Appointed by | The Sovereign, on the advice of the Prime Minister |
| Seat | 39 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0EU |
| Shadowed by | Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care |
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is the minister in charge of the Department of Health and Social Care, responsible for the National Health Service, public health and adult social care. The office holder is a member of the Cabinet and is appointed by The Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister.
History
The Health Secretary runs the biggest budget of any department after welfare, and answers to Parliament for the National Health Service, from waiting lists and hospital funding to doctors' and nurses' pay. The post took its present name in 2018, when social care was added to it.
Role
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care leads the Department of Health and Social Care. They decide the department's policy within the government's programme, defend its budget, answer questions about it in the House of Commons, and bring forward the bills it needs through Parliament. Like every Cabinet minister, they are bound by collective responsibility: once the Cabinet has decided something, all its members must support it in public or resign.
On the UKOGB website the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is the head of the department. They can edit its page, choose who works there and post its announcements, and they get the Cabinet and HM Government roles in the Discord server.
Opposition counterpart
The Shadow Cabinet includes a Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, chosen by the Leader of the Opposition. The shadow minister questions the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in the Commons, responds to the department's announcements and sets out what the Opposition would do instead.
See also
This page was last edited on 3 November 2026.