Wes Streeting named new health and social care secretary
Nursing and other health leaders have called on the new Labour health and social care secretary to keep to his party’s promises for the NHS.
Wes Streeting was this afternoon formally announced as the next secretary of state for health and social care, following Labour’s landslide general election victory.
His appointment by Sir Keir Starmer, the new prime minister, means he succeeds the Conservative Party’s Victoria Atkins in the role.
Mr Streeting has been Labour’s shadow health and care secretary since November 2021, taking over from Jonathan Ashworth.
However, he only narrowly won his Ilford North seat by 528 votes over independent candidate Leanne Mohamad, in what was a close call given his high profile during Labour’s election campaign.
“The NHS saved my life,” wrote Mr Streeting, a cancer survivor, on social media shortly after his appointment was formalised. “Now I’m determined to save our NHS. That work starts today.”
The new health secretary has inherited a slew of issues that need urgently addressing, such as ongoing pay disputes, a workforce crisis, the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s internal difficulties and others.
Nursing and other NHS leaders have welcomed Mr Streeting to the role, but were quick to make it clear he has his work cut out.
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “Trust leaders welcome Wes Streeting to the job and are ready to get down to work with him.
“It’s vital that the government works with trust leaders to get to grips with the challenges facing the NHS as well as the opportunity to make the NHS better for patients and staff.”
Among Labour’s pledges for health were a promised to back in full the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which included ambitious targets for nurse recruitment.
The party also promised to fix crumbling NHS buildings, build new hospitals, cut waiting lists and “reset relations” with the workforce after a difficult few years of strikes and late or sub-par pay deals – as well as look to create a National Care Service, a social care equivalent of the NHS.
Sir Julian added: “Underfunded and overstretched social care needs more resource and urgent reform to provide people with vital support and help ease mounting pressure throughout the NHS.
“Both social care and the NHS need to be on a sure footing for people to be given the right care in the right place at the right time,” he said.
“Trust leaders will be committed partners in a shared undertaking with the government to improve the quality and safety of care for patients and to give even greater value for money.”
Responding to the statement by the new health secretary, a Royal College of Nursing spokesperson said: “NHS staff haven’t given up, but they are exhausted and need the secretary of state to help.
“A fair pay settlement for all is the first step into rescuing health and care services, along with proper investment to boost recruitment and retention.
“We can’t keep asking the same dedicated health workers to do more with less,” they said.
