Chief Medical Officer

This article is part of the Pharma_Portal project of Spinwatch.

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) provides advice to the Secretary of State for Health at the Department of Health, the Prime Minister, health ministers and ministers of other government departments. According to Sir Liam Donaldson, who was appointed the 15th CMO in 1998: "I represent the Government, for which I work, the medical profession, which I try to listen to, and the public. My moral principle is that if ever there is a conflict it is the public who wins." The CMO is the UK Government's principal medical adviser, who also serves as CMO for England. There are seperate CMOs for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The post is not a political appointment: it is independent and does not change with a change of Government. The post is advertised and open to competition. It is then up to an appointment board chaired by a senior member of the independent Civil Service Commission to make a recommendation to the Prime Minister who gives final approval as with all top Civil Service posts.

History and duties

The role dates back to Victorian times and has been filled since 1855. Responsibilities include:

• Preparing policies and plans and implementing programmes to protect the health of the public
• Promoting and taking action to improve the health of the population and reduce health inequalities
• Leading initiatives within the NHS to enhance the quality, safety and standards in clinical services
• Preparing or reviewing policy in particular areas of health or health care (as the senior doctor within Government). Examples of involvement include organ retention and stem cell research.

People

• Donald Acheson