Jeremy Hunt has retained his role as Secretary of State for Health in the cabinet reshuffle. Notably, however, his brief has been extended to cover Social Care, a move reflected in his new title – Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
This is a significant reinforcement of emphasis, consistent with the move towards the accountable care system approach inherent in the establishment of the 44 Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships across England. It signals that the Government is serious about accelerating the integration of health and social care, widely accepted as essential to ensure the future sustainability of the NHS.
In the 2016 reshuffle, the role of Social Care Minister was actually downgraded by the Prime Minister. In 1988, what was the Department of Health and Social Security, was split into two departments: the Department of Health and the Department of Social Security.
