New team moves into the Department of Health
Patricia Hewitt: committed to listen to professionals and patients |
A new team of ministers has been appointed to the Department of Health following the general election last week in which junior health minister, Melanie Johnson, lost her seat.
Former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Patricia Hewitt, has
taken over from John Reid as Secretary of State for Health. Dr Reid has
been made defence secretary.
Rosie Winterton has kept her job as Minister of State but, with portfolios
still to be allocated, it remains to be seen whether she will retain
responsibility for pharmacy.
Lord Warner has also kept a DoH post, but has been promoted from Parliamentary
Under-Secretary of State to Minister of State. As junior minister in
the House of Lords, Lord Warner’s portfolio included responsibility
for the pharmaceutical industry and the Medicines and Healthcare products
Regulatory Agency.
As well as Ms Hewitt, there are three other new appointments at the Department.
Jane Kennedy, Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions
since April last year has moved sideways to the DoH as a Minister of
State.
Caroline Flint, a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home
Office since 2003, has become a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
at the DoH, as has Liam Byrne. This is the first Government appointment
for Mr Byrne, who was elected to Parliament at a by-election in 2004.
Following her appointment, Ms Hewitt said: “I am determined to
drive forward our plans to create a patient-led NHS in the direction
set by the Prime Minister, while keeping up the pace of change set by
my predecessors.
“Over the next three months I will be doing a lot of listening
and learning from the real experts — patients and staff. I intend
to get around all parts of the NHS, finding out for myself what patients
feel about
the care they are receiving and shadowing staff as they carry out their
duties. I will listen to everyone, whether medics or midwives, cleaners,
porters or physiotherapists, stop-smoking teams or our new breed of personal
health advisers.
“As patients and consumers, we are better informed today about
our health care than any previous generation. A modern health and social
care system
has to be completely focused on the needs of its users. The two million
people who work in the NHS and social care are also themselves patients
and users. I know they all want to treat patients and users the way they
and their families would want to be treated, and that is the purpose
of our reforms.” |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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