Department of Health United Kingdom

The Department of Health (DoH) is a department of the United Kingdom government. It is led by the Secretary of State for Health with two Ministers of State and three Parliamentary Under-Secretary of States.

It is responsible for government policy on health, social care and the National Health Service (NHS) in England (through the Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs)).

The DoH carries out some of its work through "arm's length bodies", including executive agencies such as the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

In the rest of the United Kingdom, responsibility for health and the management of the NHS falls under the jurisdiction of the devolved governments of the other three constituent countries, namely:

• the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety of the Northern Ireland Executive
• the Scottish Executive Health Department
• the Welsh Assembly Government