Former Health Secretary appointed top advisor to the DHSC

Former Health Secretary Alan Milburn has been appointed as a top advisor to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The announcement of a senior role for Milburn (pictured) in the DHSC has been anticipated since Labour took office in July. His appointment as lead non-executive member to the board of the DHSC was made directly by Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting and could signal a new era of cooperation between the NHS and independent sector.

As one of the key architects of NHS reform and waiting list reduction in the early 2000s, Milburn was credited for many of the policies which delivered a wider role for independent healthcare providers in the NHS, including centrally driven procurement programmes and the Patient Choice agenda. Since leaving office, he has also worked as a consultant for a number of firms operating in the sector.

‘As Secretary of State, Alan made the reforms which helped deliver the shortest waiting times and highest patient satisfaction in the history of the NHS,’ said Streeting.

‘This government has inherited a broken health service with some of the longest waiting times and lowest patient satisfaction in history. I am delighted to welcome Alan to the department board, where he will offer advice on turning the NHS around once again. His unique expertise and experience will be invaluable and he has an outstanding track record of delivering better care for patients.’

Milburn said the NHS was in a worse state now than in any time in the past three decades and that ‘big reforms’ will be needed to ensure it is fit for the future.

‘I am confident this government has the right plans in place to transform the health service and the health of the nation. I’m looking forward to working with them to achieve that mission,’ he said.