Prime Minister Brown appoints Alan Johnson Health Secretary
pharmafile | June 28, 2007 | News story | |
For his first cabinet as Prime Minister Gordon Brown has appointed former education secretary Alan Johnson to head up the Department of Health.
Health will be a key battleground for Brown, as it was for his predecessor, and he will have to overcome mounting public disillusionment with Labour's handling of the NHS.
Even before taking over from Tony Blair, Gordon Brown made the NHS a priority for his forthcoming government saying he knew change was wanted.
To help him achieve this, he has appointed former postman and union leader – but ardent Blairite – Alan Johnson as Secretary of State for Health.
NHS managers welcomed his appointment saying he had a strong reputation as a values-driven politician.
Dr Gill Morgan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation which represents more than 90% of NHS organisations, said: "One of the major issues for the new health secretary, and new Prime Minister, will be improving the morale of staff within the health service.
"Alan Johnson will bring a wealth of experience to the Department of Health in this area from his work with trade unions. It is vitally important that we all work together to turn staff into genuine advocates for the health service."
The former joint general secretary of the Communication Workers' Union rose rapidly since his election to Parliament in 1997, moving through the Departments of Trade, Education and Work & Pensions.
Doctors leaders said Johnson's appointment would provide an excellent opportunity for doctors and government to work together to improve patient care.
Acting chairman of the BMA Dr Sam Everington said: "The new Prime Minister Gordon Brown says he wants change in the NHS. Doctors have the ideas to realise change, we see patients every day and we know what works and what doesn't".
At the BMA's recent annual meeting doctors appealed for the government to work with them and listen to them and Dr Everington said the BMA would be seeking a meeting with the new health secretary as soon as possible.
Alan Johnson replaces Patricia Hewitt, who resigned from the government before the reshuffle was announced for personal reasons. She will remain in Parliament and chair a European policy committee.
The Prime Minister thanked her for an "outstanding contribution" to the government.
In a letter to Hewitt he said: "I want to particularly pay tribute to the progress that, as Secretary of State for Health, you have made in terms of reducing waiting times and driving forward reform in the health service, and in the wider field of public health, especially the complete ban on smoking in public places."
"You should be justly proud of your achievements," he added.
Hewitt had faced increasing pressure over NHS deficits and a widely criticised applications system for junior doctors training. She also recently dismissed the idea of making a fully independent NHS as proposed by Gordon Brown a few months ago.
