Our governance
Governance bodies in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Departmental Board
The Departmental Board, chaired by the Secretary of State, brings together ministerial and Civil Service leadership with non-executives from outside government who can provide independent support and challenge. The Departmental Board meets on a quarterly basis.
The board provides the collective strategic and operational leadership of DHSC, and has responsibility for:
- supporting ministers and the department on strategic issues linked to the development and implementation of the government’s objectives for the health and social care system
- horizon scanning for emerging issues
- ensuring there is strategic alignment across the health and care system
- overseeing the sound financial management of the department
- overseeing the management of risks within the department and its arm’s length bodies (ALBs)
- overseeing the department’s portfolio of major programmes and projects
Members:
- The Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP (Chair), Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
- Samantha Jones, Permanent Secretary
- Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer
- Tom Riordan, Second Permanent Secretary
- Elizabeth O’Mahony, Interim Director General, Finance
- The Rt Hon Alan Milburn, Lead Non-Executive Director
- Sir Richard Douglas, Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee
- Naomi Eisenstadt, Non-Executive Director
- Phil Jordan, Non-Executive Director
- Baroness Camilla Cavendish, Non-Executive Director
The Departmental Board has 3 sub-committees, 2 of which are chaired by non-executive board members.
Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee
The Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee is a sub-committee of the Departmental Board and advises the Departmental Board and the department’s accounting officer on risk management, corporate governance and assurance arrangements for the department and its subsidiary bodies and reviews the comprehensiveness of assurances and integrity of financial statements.
The Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee has responsibility for:
- the accounting policies, accounts and annual report of the department, including reviewing them before their submission or audit
- issues arising from the annual report and accounts
- the annual governance statement
- the quality of risk management within the department, together with regular review of the strategic risk register
- the accountability arrangements established to support the accounting officer
- audit strategies and plans, and the department’s response to any issues identified by internal or external audits
- the department’s business code of conduct, anti-fraud policies, whistle-blowing policy and arrangements for special investigations
- how we respond to findings and recommendations from external bodies (for example, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee)
The committee usually meets at least 4 times per year, with additional meetings in late spring and early summer to consider the annual report and accounts.
Members:
- Sir Richard Douglas, Chair
- Samantha Jones, Permanent Secretary
- Elizabeth O’Mahony, Interim Director General, Finance
- Anne Barnard, independent member
- Graham Clarke, independent member
- Chris Young, independent member
- David Willis, Group Chief Internal Auditor, Government Internal Audit Agency
- Darren Stewart, Director responsible for health, National Audit Office
- Paul Macnaught, Chief Risk Officer
Nominations and Governance Committee
The Nominations and Governance Committee is a sub-committee of the Departmental Board and advises on matters relating to the department’s senior leadership and succession planning. It meets twice per year.
- The Rt Hon Alan Milburn, Lead Non-Executive Director
- Samantha Jones, Permanent Secretary
- Tom Riordan, Second Permanent Secretary
- Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer
- Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Executive, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
- Jenny Richardson, Director, Human Resources
Joint Executive Team
The Joint Executive Team is the executive forum across DHSC and NHS England, with the Permanent Secretary and NHS England CEO as co-chairs. It oversees strategy, finance, performance and corporate issues.
Members:
- Samantha Jones, Permanent Secretary
- Sir Jim Mackey, NHS England Chief Executive Officer
- Tom Riordan, Chief Operating Officer and Second Permanent Secretary, and Interim Director General, Commercial and Growth
- Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer
- Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser
- Elizabeth O’Mahony, Interim Director General, Finance
- Catherine Frances, Director General, Global, Public Health and Emergencies
- Matthew Style, Director General, System Development
- Sally Warren, Director General, Adult Social Care
- Julian Hunt, Interim Director General, Technology, Digital and Data
- David Probert, Interim Director General, Performance and Delivery
- Jo Lenaghan, Interim Director General, People
- Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England
- Dr Claire Fuller, Interim Medical Director
- Professor Meghana Pandit, Interim Medical Director
- Director General, Strategy and Healthcare Policy (vacant)
The Joint Executive Team conducts specific business, such as relating to investment, through the appropriate subcommittees.
You can find further information about previous departmental governance in the DHSC annual report and accounts, 2023 to 2024, pages 125 to 130.