Health Foundation welcomes Wes Streeting as new Secretary of State

In response to the announcement that Wes Streeting has been appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Dr Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation, said: 

‘We warmly welcome the appointment of Wes Streeting as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, although no one should underestimate the scale of the challenge he has inherited. 

‘The NHS is facing one of the toughest moments in its history, with the waiting list for routine hospital care at nearly 7.6 million and public satisfaction with the NHS at an all-time low. Labour’s plans to drive down NHS waiting times are rightly ambitious, but achieving them will require stable, long-term funding and relentless focus to increase capacity, support staff and unlock productivity improvements.

'We welcome Labour's promise of a clearer national approach to delivering high-quality social care and vital action to improve staff pay and conditions. But wider reform of social care entitlements and extra funding is essential and we urge the Secretary of State to set out a clear timetable for delivering this.

‘Labour has put growth and prosperity at the forefront of its mission, and a thriving economy can only be built on the foundations of a healthy population. Rebuilding the nation’s health will require an unprecedented level of cross government action on the wider social, economic and environmental factors that shape people’s health.

‘We look forward to working with Mr Streeting to improve the nation’s health and drive forward urgent improvements in health and care.’

Notes to editors