Sajid Javid arrives at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) at a point when the portfolio has never been more high profile. Whilst not technically a Great Office of State, the position of Health Secretary is second only to the Chancellor when the public is asked to rank a member of the Prime Minister’s team.
When Jeremy Hunt was appointed to the post in 2012, he was urged by the then Prime Minister David Cameron to ‘calm down the NHS’. Sajid Javid, another bright, competent minister who does not seek the limelight has been chosen for a similar brief.
His first task will be to prioritise. Under Hancock, the department committed to pursuing four different reforms in tandem this year, covering social care, public health, the NHS and mental health. Whilst laudable, it was always feared that this would be too ambitious a programme for a government facing the dual threat of coronavirus and the biggest waiting list in history.
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