The Department of Health announce a new senior structure

The Department of Health (DH) has announced a new senior structure as of 1 July.

The new structure was implemented followed by the DH 2020 plan, a programme to develop a more affordable and effective Department of State that is able to deliver shared priorities of the health and care system.

The new senior structure was put in place under the leadership of Chris Wormald, the new Permanent Secretary, with four groups of work managed by a Director General (DG):

• Global and Public Health will focus on the work required to prevent illness and improve general health for everyone. DG – yet to be confrimed.
• If members of the public do need to access DH services, Community Care will allow them to focus on helping people stay out of hospital, providing them with the support at home and looking at how they live with long-term conditions. DG – Tamara Finkelstein
• For people who visit DH hospitals for care, Acute Care and Workforce will work on improving what happens in their hospitals. DG – Charlie Massey
• Throughout all of this work DH needs to be mindful of how public funds are spent and the Finance Director and Chief Operating Officer will stand up for the taxpayer and manage the relationship with Treasury and Cabinet Office. DG – David Williams

Chris Whitty will remain Chief Scientific Advisor, taking on additional responsibilities for the Chief Economist and Office for Life Sciences. The move to this new structure involves a period of transition where updates will follow.