Minister of State for Health (UK)

Not to be confused with Minister of Health (United Kingdom).

The Minister of State for Health is a mid-level position in the Department of Health and Social Care in the British government. The position is currently held by Karin Smyth MP since 8 July 2024. The minister often deputises for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care alongside the Minister of State for Social Care.^[1]

United Kingdom Minister of State for Health
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Incumbent Karin Smyth since 8 July 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Style	Minister
Nominator	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Appointer	The Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation	1970
First holder	Morys Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare
Website	https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--59

The role was part of the Department for Health and Social Security under the Secretary of State for Social Services until 1988.^[2]

Responsibilities

The minister is responsible for the following:^[3]

• COVID-19:
  • NHS resilience (acute capacity)
  • supply (ventilators)
• NHS operational performance
• Long Term Plan Bill
• finance, efficiency and commercial
• NHS capital, land and estates
• transformation
• NHS England mandate
• devolved administrations, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories
• secondary legislation
• departmental management
• EU future relationship and trade
• sponsorship of:
  • NHSE
  • NHSI

List of ministers of state for health

Name		Portrait	Took office	Left office	Political party	Prime Minister
Role created out of the Department of Health and Social Security
Minister of State for Health and Social Security
	Morys Bruce 4th Baron Aberdare		23 June 1970	8 January 1974	Conservative		Edward Heath (I)
	Brian O'Malley MP for Rotherham		8 March 1974	6 April 1976	Labour		Harold Wilson (III) + (IV)
	David Owen MP for Plymouth Devonport		26 July 1974	10 September 1976	Labour		Harold Wilson (III) + (IV)
	Stan Orme MP for Salford West		8 April 1976	4 May 1979	Labour		James Callaghan (I)
	Roland Moyle MP for Lewisham East		10 September 1976	4 May 1979	Labour		James Callaghan (I)
Minister of State for Health
	Gerard Vaughan MP for Reading South		7 May 1979	5 March 1982	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (I)
	Kenneth Clarke MP for Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire		5 March 1982	2 September 1985	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (I) + (II)
	Barney Hayhoe MP for Brentford and Isleworth		2 September 1985	10 September 1986	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (II)
	Tony Newton MP for Braintree		10 September 1986	25 July 1988	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (II) + (III)
	David Mellor MP for Putney		25 July 1988	27 October 1989	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (III)
	Anthony Trafford Baron Trafford		29 July 1989	16 September 1989	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (III)
	Virginia Bottomley MP for South West Surrey		28 October 1989	10 April 1992	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (III) John Major (I)
	Brian Mawhinney MP for Peterborough		14 April 1992	20 July 1994	Conservative		John Major (II)
	Gerry Malone MP for Winchester		20 July 1994	May 1997	Conservative		John Major (II)
Minister of State for Health Services
	Alan Milburn MP for Darlington		May 1997	30 December 1998	Labour		Tony Blair (I)
	John Denham MP for Southampton Itchen		30 December 1998	11 June 2001	Labour		Tony Blair (I)
	Jacqui Smith MP for Redditch		June 2001	June 2003	Labour		Tony Blair (II)
	Rosie Winterton MP for Doncaster Central		June 2003	May 2005	Labour		Tony Blair (II)
	John Hutton MP for Barrow and Furness		June 2003	May 2005	Labour		Tony Blair (II)
Minister of State for Quality and Patient Safety
	Jane Kennedy MP for Liverpool Wavertree		10 May 2005	8 May 2006	Labour		Tony Blair (III)
Minister of State for Health
	Andy Burnham MP for Leigh, Greater Manchester		8 May 2006	28 June 2007	Labour		Tony Blair (III)
	Ben Bradshaw MP for Exeter		28 June 2007	5 June 2009	Labour		Gordon Brown (I)
	Mike O'Brien MP for North Warwickshire		8 June 2009	11 May 2010	Labour		Gordon Brown (I)
	Philip Dunne MP for Ludlow		15 July 2016	9 January 2018	Conservative		Theresa May (I) + (II)
	Steve Barclay MP for North East Cambridgeshire		9 January 2018	16 November 2018	Conservative		Theresa May (II)
	Stephen Hammond MP for Wimbledon		16 November 2018	25 July 2019	Conservative		Theresa May (II) Boris Johnson (I)
	Chris Skidmore MP for Kingswood		24 July 2019	10 September 2019	Conservative		Boris Johnson (I)
	Edward Argar MP for Charnwood		10 September 2019	6 July 2022	Conservative		Boris Johnson (I) + (II)
	Maria Caulfield MP for Lewes		7 July 2022	7 September 2022	Conservative		Boris Johnson (II)
	Will Quince MP for Colchester		8 September 2022	26 October 2022	Conservative		Liz Truss (I)
Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care
	Will Quince MP for Colchester		26 October 2022	13 November 2023	Conservative		Rishi Sunak (I)
	Andrew Stephenson MP for Pendle		13 November 2023	5 July 2024	Conservative		Rishi Sunak (I)
Minister of State for Health
	Karin Smyth MP for Bristol South		8 July 2024	Incumbent	Labour		Keir Starmer (I)

See also

• Health minister