Department
of Health - Health and well-being of people in England
About
the Department of Health
The
Department of Health’s overall purpose is to ensure better
health and well-being, better care and better value for all. They
do this by:
Setting
direction
The Department of Health have responsibility for standards of health
care in the country, including the NHS. They set the strategic framework
for adult social care and influence local authority spend on social
care. They also set the direction on promoting and protecting the
public's health, taking the lead on issues like environmental hazards
to health, infectious diseases, health promotion and education,
the safety of medicines, and ethical issues.
Their
work in setting direction includes:
- Strategy
-
Policy
-
Legislation and regulation
-
Allocating resources
-
The NHS operating framework
-
Local Area Agreements.
Supporting
delivery
The Department of Health is responsible for finding the best way
to develop, support and mobilise the health and social care system
to deliver improvements for patients and the public.
Their
work in supporting delivery includes:
- Performance
monitoring and evaluation
-
Managerial and professional leadership for external groups
-
Building capacity and capability
-
Ensuring value for money.
Leading
health and well-being for government
The Department of Health lead the integration of health and well-being
into wider government policy, working with other sectors and systems
with which they do not have a direct relationship with, as well
as integrating wider public policy into health and care services.
They also take the lead internationally on some health issues for
the UK.
Their
work on leading health and well-being for Government includes:
- working
with the wider public sector, the third and private sectors on
issues such as health protection or lifestyle choices, including
integrating health and well-being with other Government agendas
at regional level through our regional teams
-
working with international partners, including the European Union
(EU), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Accounting
to Parliament and the public
The Department of Health are responsible for supporting ministers
in accounting to the public and Parliament. Public trust in the
democratic process and in information provided by the Government
is very important and it is vital that ministers give accurate and
truthful information to Parliament and to the public.
They
are also responsible for looking after and allocating public money
to the NHS and adult social care services. They have the responsibility
to explain to the public how their money is being spent, and what
is being achieved as a result.
Their
work on accounting to Parliament and the public includes:
- answering
parliamentary questions - both written and oral and dealing with
other Parliamentary business, debates and enquiries
-
responding to letters, emails, and phone calls from the public
and members of Parliament
-
communicating to the public through the media and through visits
and speeches.
Supporting
DH staff to succeed
They also need to support their staff. This is about their leadership
and management and the corporate services they provide.
Contact
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