Key Summary
The government has confirmed that Dame Diana Johnson, Member of Parliament for Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham, will take charge of the pharmacy portfolio within the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
The announcement was a much awaited appointment for the pharmacy sector.
She takes over the primary care and pharmacy brief following the departure of Stephen Kinnock MP, who moved to lead the Welsh Office as Secretary of State.
Prior to taking on this health portfolio, Dame Diana served as Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions and Minister of State in the Home Office.
Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP is Minister of State in the Department of Health and Social Care.
She is an experienced British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kingston upon Hull North (now Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham) since 2005, with a career spanning over two decades in local government, parliamentary select committees, and frontbench ministerial roles.
Sector reactions
Pharmacy leaders and trade bodies have welcomed the conformation, urging the incoming minister to immediately address the significant financial and operational pressures facing community pharmacies and primary care teams.
Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: “We congratulate Dame Diana Johnson on her appointment as Minister of State for Public Health and Patient Safety and welcome her new responsibility for community pharmacy. We look forward to working closely with her and the wider ministerial team to help unlock the full potential of community pharmacy.
Dame Diana has previously shown support for the sector, and we are keen to build on that interest. We hope to continue the constructive dialogue established with the outgoing minister, focusing on securing a sustainable future for the sector, addressing ongoing financial pressures, and enabling community pharmacies to make an even greater contribution to the Government’s ambitions for improving access to care, prevention and neighbourhood health services.”
Responding to the appointment, Henry Gregg, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association said: "We are very much looking forward to working with Dame Diana who is a friend of pharmacy who has supported important funding campaigns and petitions warning about the problems of pharmacy closures in the past.
"She knows what a positive contribution pharmacies make to public health, patients and local economies. Although the government has made strides towards ending a decade of neglect in pharmacy there is so much more to do to unleash their potential to improve health outcomes, tackle inequalities and improve local economies while easing pressure on the rest of the NHS.
"We stand ready to meet her as soon as possible to explain the tremendous value our members can offer in helping people live healthier, happier and more prosperous lives."
Secretary of State
Yvette Cooper MP was appointed as the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 20 July, and previously served as Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary.
She is tasked with delivering the government's flagship £18 billion initiative to establish a National Care Service, placing long-term social care reform at the top of the department's agenda.
Reportedly, she also plans to bring care closer to home. Working alongside primary care bodies and community pharmacy organisations to expand local treatment access, shifting routine healthcare delivery away from hospitals and into local communities.
Outlining her initial focus, Cooper shared on X that social care and maternity services would top her agenda: “I’m looking forward to working urgently to improve maternity services, to take forward plans for social care, and to once again play a part in supporting our National Health Service, Labour’s proudest achievement.”
“Most of all I’m looking forward to working with the dedicated NHS staff, carers, healthcare professionals, and volunteers on whom we all depend.”
During her earlier tenure as health minister, she was involved in delivering the first NHS Cancer Plan in 2000 and launching the Sure Start programme.
Other health ministers
Chris McDonald MP was appointed as Minister of State in the Department of Health and Social Care. He also holds a ministerial position at the newly formed Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST).
James Frith MP is Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Health and Social Care. Prior to his current health brief, he gained ministerial experience earlier in 2026 as the Digital Government Minister for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, alongside serving as a Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office.
Alison McGovern MP was appointed as Minister of State in the Department of Health and Social Care. Prior to her current health portfolio, she held frontbench roles as Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness (2025-2026) and Minister of State for Employment (2024-2025).
Karin Smyth MP remained as Minister of State in the Department of Health and Social Care. She has represented the constituency of Bristol South as its Member of Parliament since 2015. Prior to entering politics, Smyth built a substantial career inside the healthcare sector, working as an NHS manager.
Baroness Merron remained as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Health and Social Care, continuing her focus on the women’s health strategy.
