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Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Royal Arms of Her Majesty's Government
Incumbent Matt Hancock since 9 July 2018
Department of Health and Social Care
Style	Health Secretary (informal) The Right Honourable (within the UK and the Commonwealth)
Appointer	The Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister
Term length	At Her Majesty's pleasure
Formation	14 October 1854
First holder	Sir Benjamin Hall
Salary	£143,552 (Including salary as MP)
Website	www.dh.gov.uk

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Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Health Secretary) is a British cabinet position serving as head of the Department of Health and Social Care and holds responsibility for the National Health Service (NHS). Since devolution in 1999, the position holder's responsibility for the NHS is mainly restricted to the health service in England, with the holder's counterparts in Scotland and Wales 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 had a larger role than now in the co-ordination 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.

The first Boards of Health were created by Orders in Council dated 21 June, 14 November and 21 November 1831. In 1848, a General Board of Health was created with the First Commissioner of Woods and Forests as its president. In 1854, this Board was reconstituted and the President appointed separately. However, the Board was abolished in 1858 and its function of overseeing the 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 in 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 proper.

From 1968, it was amalgamated with the Ministry of Social Security under the Secretary of State for Social Services, until a de-merger of the Department of Health and Social Security on 25 July 1988.

List of Ministers

Colour key (for political parties):
  Whig
  Conservative
  Radical
  Peelite
  Liberal
  Labour
  Unionist
  National Labour
  National Liberal

President of the Board of Health (1848–1858)
Name		Portrait	Term of office		Political party	Prime Minister
As First Commissioner of Woods and Forests							Lord John Russell
	The Earl of Carlisle		1848	17 April 1849	Whig
	Lord Seymour		17 April 1849	1 August 1851	Whig
As First Commissioner of Works
	Lord Seymour		1 August 1851	21 February 1852	Whig
	Lord John Manners		4 March 1852	17 December 1852	Conservative		The Earl of Derby
	Sir William Molesworth, Bt		5 January 1853	14 October 1854	Radical		The Earl of Aberdeen (Coalition)
President of the Board of Health
	Sir Benjamin Hall, Bt		14 October 1854	13 August 1855	Whig
	William Cowper		13 August 1855	9 February 1857	Whig		The Viscount Palmerston
	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 to the Privy Council (1858–1871), then the Local Government Board (1871–1919).
Minister of Health (1919–1968)
Name		Portrait	Term of office		Political party	Prime Minister
	Dr Christopher Addison		24 June 1919	1 April 1921	Liberal		David Lloyd George (Coalition)
	Sir Alfred Mond, Bt		1 April 1921	19 October 1922	Liberal
	Sir Arthur Griffith-Boscawen		24 October 1922	7 March 1923 (Lost seat 1922)	Conservative		Bonar Law
	Neville Chamberlain		7 March 1923	27 August 1923	Conservative
							Stanley Baldwin
	Sir William Joynson-Hicks, Bt		27 August 1923	22 January 1924	Conservative
	John Wheatley		22 January 1924	3 November 1924	Labour		Ramsay MacDonald
	Neville Chamberlain		6 November 1924	4 June 1929	Conservative		Stanley Baldwin
	Arthur Greenwood		7 June 1929	24 August 1931	Labour		Ramsay MacDonald
	Neville Chamberlain		25 August 1931	5 November 1931	Conservative		Ramsay MacDonald (1st National Min.; 2nd National Min.)
	Sir Hilton Young		5 November 1931	7 June 1935	Conservative
	Sir Kingsley Wood		7 June 1935	16 May 1938	Conservative		Stanley Baldwin (3rd National Min.)
							Neville Chamberlain (4th National Min.; War Coalition)
	Dr Walter Elliot		16 May 1938	13 May 1940	Unionist
	Malcolm MacDonald		13 May 1940	8 February 1941	National Labour		Winston Churchill (War Coalition)
	Ernest Brown		8 February 1941	11 November 1943	National Liberal
	Henry Willink		11 November 1943	26 July 1945	Conservative
	Aneurin Bevan		3 August 1945	17 January 1951	Labour		Clement Attlee
	Hilary Marquand		17 January 1951	26 October 1951	Labour
	Harry Crookshank		30 October 1951	7 May 1952	Conservative		Sir Winston Churchill
	Iain Macleod		7 May 1952	20 December 1955	Conservative
							Sir Anthony Eden
	Robin Turton		20 December 1955	16 January 1957	Conservative
	Dennis Vosper		16 January 1957	17 September 1957	Conservative		Harold Macmillan
	Derek Walker-Smith		17 September 1957	27 July 1960	Conservative
	Enoch Powell		27 July 1960	20 October 1963	Conservative
	Anthony Barber		20 October 1963	16 October 1964	Conservative		Sir Alec Douglas-Home
	Kenneth Robinson		18 October 1964	1 November 1968	Labour		Harold Wilson
Post merged with Ministry for Social Security in 1968.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Services (1968–1988)
Name		Portrait	Term of office		Political party	Prime Minister
	Richard Crossman		1 November 1968	19 June 1970	Labour		Harold Wilson
	Sir Keith Joseph		20 June 1970	4 March 1974	Conservative		Edward Heath
	Barbara Castle		5 March 1974	8 April 1976	Labour		Harold Wilson
	David Ennals		8 April 1976	4 May 1979	Labour		James Callaghan
	Patrick Jenkin		5 May 1979	14 September 1981	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher
	Norman Fowler		14 September 1981	13 June 1987	Conservative
	John Moore		13 June 1987	25 July 1988	Conservative
Post split into Secretary of State for Social Security and Secretary of State for Health in 1988.
Secretary of State for Health (1988–2018)
Name		Portrait	Term of office		Political party	Prime Minister
	Kenneth Clarke		25 July 1988	2 November 1990	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher
	William Waldegrave		2 November 1990	10 April 1992	Conservative
							John Major
	Virginia Bottomley		10 April 1992	5 July 1995	Conservative
	Stephen Dorrell		5 July 1995	2 May 1997	Conservative
	Frank Dobson		3 May 1997	11 October 1999	Labour		Tony Blair
	Alan Milburn		11 October 1999	13 June 2003	Labour
	John Reid		13 June 2003	6 May 2005	Labour
	Patricia Hewitt		6 May 2005	27 June 2007	Labour
	Alan Johnson		28 June 2007	5 June 2009	Labour		Gordon Brown
	Andy Burnham		5 June 2009	11 May 2010	Labour
	Andrew Lansley		11 May 2010	4 September 2012	Conservative		David Cameron (Coalition)
	Jeremy Hunt		4 September 2012	8 January 2018	Conservative
							David Cameron (II)
							Theresa May (I·II)
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (2018-present)
Name		Portrait	Term of office		Political party	Prime Minister
	Jeremy Hunt		8 January 2018	9 July 2018	Conservative		Theresa May
	Matt Hancock		9 July 2018	Incumbent	Conservative

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