BRIEF—Victoria Atkins named new Health Secretary in UK

As part of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Cabinet reshuffle today, Victoria Atkins has been named as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, replacing Steve Barclay.

Ms Atkins was previously financial secretary to the Treasury, and this is her first Cabinet appointment. She now faces tackling threats of industrial action from junior doctors, rising National Health Service (NHS) waiting lists and winter around the corner.

Commenting on the appointment, NHS Confederation chief executive, Matthew Taylor, said: “The Secretary of State takes office as system and Trust leaders are digesting, and working out how to respond to, last week’s  deeply disappointing funding announcement which saw their pleas for more funding to cover the costs of industrial action and inflation answered by taking investment away from key areas that are likely to harm the NHS in the long term.

“With its reshuffle, the government has an opportunity to revisit this decision in the imminent Autumn Statement, as well as more generally reset relationships with the health and care sector.”