Andy Burnham named new health secretary
pharmafile | June 8, 2009 | News story | |Â Â NHS, healthcareÂ
Andy Burnham has been named as the government's new secretary of state for health, in Prime Minister Gordon Brown's latest cabinet reshuffle.
The Labour MP for Leigh, previously the culture secretary, will replace Alan Johnson, and has pledged to tackle problems of obesity and sedentary lifestyles in the UK.
In his first interview after taking on the new role, Burnham told The Guardian that spending money to help people get fit and stay fit was "a long-term insurance policy" that could help cut the soaring bills incurred by the NHS in treating obesity-related disease such as diabetes and heart conditions.
Burnham has held various ministerial roles within culture and health, and also across the Home Office and Treasury since his election to parliament in 2001.
In the area of health, he has a record of innovative thinking. He was minister of state for delivery and reform at the Department of Health from 2006 to 2007, and during this time Burnham spent periods shadowing different NHS staff in their everyday work to gain new insight to the health service – something not undertaken by a minister before.
He produced a diary of his experience called 'Days Out in the NHS', which informed his vision and support for reform and the NHS Constitution, which he laid out in 2007.
Burnham also served as a member of the Health Select Committee between 2001 and 2003, and worked as a parliamentary officer to the NHS Confederation during 1997. Before that he served in the Labour opposition health team as a researcher for Tessa Jowell.
Commenting on his new appointment, think-tank The King's Fund said it was frustrating to have another change when Alan Johnson had only been in post for less than two years, and that it had nothing to do with what is best for the health service.
Chief executive Niall Dickson added more positively: "However, if a change had to be made we welcome the choice of Andy Burnham. He has experience of the health system both as a minister and in his earlier career and he has shown he is committed to the NHS and to reform."
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