Department of Health

This article is part of the Pharma_Portal project of Spinwatch.

The Department of Health is part of the UK government.

Background

From the Department of Health website:

We have responsibility for standards of health care in the country, including the NHS. We set the strategic framework for adult social care and influence local authority spend on social care. We also set the direction on promoting and protecting the public's health, taking the lead on issues like environmental hazards to health, infectious diseases, health promotion and education, the safety of medicines, and ethical issues.

Work with other organisations

The DH works with and sponsors arm's length bodies (ALBs), which are impartial national organisations working directly with the local NHS, social care services, and other ALBs to regulate the system, improve standards, protect public welfare and support local services.

Regulatory ALBs that often have their own primary powers and on the whole are independent include:

• Care Quality Commission
• Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence
• Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
• Human Tissue Authority
• Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
• Monitor
• Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board

ALBs that focus primarily on establishing national standards and best practice include:

• National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
• National Biological Standards Board
• National Institute for Biological Standards and Control

ALBs that focus on safety and the protection of public and patients include:

• Health Potection Agency
• General Social Care Council
• National Patient Safety Agency
• National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse
• National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse

Ministers

• Jeremy Hunt - was appointed Secretary of State for Health in September 2012.
• Norman Lamb - was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Health in September 2012
• Daniel Poulter - has been Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health since September 2012
• Jane Ellison - has been Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health in October 2013.
• Frederick Curzon - was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Quality in May 2010
• George Freeman - is a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State.

Former ministers

• Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP Secretary of State for Health
• Ben Bradshaw MP Minister of State for Health Services
• Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP Minister of State for Public Health
• Phil Hope MP Minister of State for Care Services
• Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham KBE Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
• Ann Keen MP Parliamentary Under Secretary for Health Services

Special advisers

• Ed Jones - Hunt’s own personal policy special adviser since May 2013. Jones previously worked at Deloitte and Hanover Communications.

• Sue Beeby - she is known as Hunt’s long-standing special adviser. She has worked in the DoH since 2012. Previous to this Beeby was special adviser to the Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport from May 2010 – September 2012 (2 years 5 months). Beeby also worked for the Conservative Party as press officer from 2006 for three years. She was an account manager at Origin Communications Ltd for two years as well as a marketing manager at Hollington in 2002. From 2000-2002 Sue was an account manager at Zebra Consultancy.

• Paul Harrison - Since 2012

• Emily Frith - special adviser to the Cabinet Office since March 2013, but focuses on health. Previous roles include policy advisor at Driver Youth Trust, research associate at Prison Reform Trust, external affairs manager at Turning Point, health advisor for Liberal Democrats and research associate at APCO Worldwide.

Board Members

Hugh Taylor CB, David Nicholson CBE, Sir Liam Donaldson KB, Julie Baddeley, Derek Myers, Mike Wheeler, David Behan CBE, Richard Douglas CB

Senior Team

Dr. Fiona Adshead, Christine Beasley, Clare Chapman, David Flory, Sian Jarvis, Professor David R Harper CBE, Professor Sally C Davies, Una O'Brien, Surinder Sharma

Chief Scientic Adviser

• Professor Dame Sally Davies

Affiliations

Executive Agencies

NHS Estates Agency | Medicines Control Agency | Medical Devices Agency | NHS Pensions Agency | NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency | Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Contact details, Resources, Notes

Contact

• Address: Customer Service Centre, The Department of Health, Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London SW1A 2NS
• Phone: 020 7210 4850
• Textphone: 020 7210 5025

• Website:

Resources

See: The Corporate Capture of the NHS

• Tamasin Cave, The privatising cabal at the heart of our NHS Spinwatch, 1 April 2015.