14.07.16
Jeremy Hunt to remain as health secretary
Jeremy Hunt will remain as health secretary despite rumours that he might lose the position as part of a Cabinet reshuffle by the new prime minister.
Despite being the longest serving health secretary of modern times, Hunt’s time in the post has been controversial, most notably because of the long-running dispute over junior doctors’ contracts.
Hopes of a breakthrough in the dispute were crushed recently after junior doctors voted to reject a new contract that had been agreed between the government and the BMA.
Hunt then announced that he would impose the contract. With junior doctors vowing to resist the contract, this raises the spectre of a return to the strikes that plagued the NHS earlier this year.
Hunt was seen at 10 Downing Street this morning, prompting reports that he was going to be either sacked from the Cabinet or transferred to another post, but it was announced shortly afterwards that he would stay. On Twitter, he said: “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
He added that he was “thrilled” to stay in “the best job in government.”
Hunt and defence secretary Michael Fallon have been the only Cabinet ministers to stay in their current posts so far.
Theresa May’s first day as prime minister since she took over from David Cameron last night has been marked by a dramatic range of Cabinet appointments and dismissals, as reported in NHE’s sister title Public Sector Executive.
High profile announcements include the appointment of David Davis as the newly created secretary for the UK’s exit from the European Union, Boris Johnson as foreign secretary and the dismissal of Michael Gove as justice secretary.
3.20pm UPDATE
Responding to the news of Hunt’s reappointment, Dame Gill Morgan, chair of NHS Providers, said: “I congratulate Jeremy Hunt on his reappointment as secretary of state for health at a time when the health and care sector faces unprecedented challenges. Mr Hunt has always maintained a relentless focus on the quality of care. We now need to return the provider sector to financial balance and change how we deliver care to make sure services wrap around the needs of patients.”
However, Chris Ham, chief executive of the King’s Fund, warned: “Jeremy Hunt faces some formidable challenges. He is on record as saying the NHS will need more money and he must now lead an honest debate with the public about what the health service can deliver with its budget. This means reviewing current priorities and avoiding making new commitments which cannot be funded.”
The King’s Fund warned this week that NHS performance targets may need to be relaxed to try to balance its funding.
Ham also said that Hunt must convince his Cabinet colleagues to make reforming social care funding “a key priority”, following the publication of the annual ADASS survey yesterday, which found that there is a £940m funding shortfall for the service.
He added: “The Secretary of State will need to provide exceptional political leadership by supporting radical changes to NHS services and making the case for a new settlement for health and social care that provide adequate funding to meet current and future needs. He must also rebuild trust with NHS staff, especially junior doctors, to ensure that a motivated, engaged workforce delivers the best possible care for patients.”
(Image c. Dominic Lipinski from PA Wire and Press Association Images)
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