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Department of Health takes on social care and adds new ministers

The Department of Health has been renamed the Department of Health and Social Care, following the rejig to health and social care secretary Jeremy Hunt’s title yesterday.

The Prime Minister’s Cabinet reshuffle continued today with two new ministers appointed to the re-named department.

Theresa May has named Stephen Barclay, the MP for North East Cambridgeshire, and Caroline Dinenage, the MP for Gosport, as ministers of state at the Department of Health and Social Care.

Both have been MPs since the 2010 general election, with Ms Dinenage most recently serving as a minister at the Department for Work and Pensions and Mr Barclay having served on the Public Accounts Committee.

The DHSC said the changed brief for the department would see it take the lead on an upcoming Government green paper on social care for older people, due later this year.

A spokesperson said: ‘From today the Department will be renamed Department of Health and Social Care, taking on responsibility for the forthcoming social care green paper which will set out the Government’s proposals to improve care and support for older people and tackle the challenge of an ageing population.

‘All costs associated with changing the Department’s name will be kept to a minimum.’

Philip Dunne, who lost his health minister post, said it had been ‘an honour’ to serve in Government since 2010.