The exit of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary started a domino effect cabinet reshuffle that meant the appointment of a new Health Secretary, Victoria Atkins.
This is Atkins' first cabinet post following time at the Treasury since 2022.
Dr Louise Morpeth, CEO of Brain in Hand, has provided a comment on this latest change's effect on the healthcare sector.
“Yesterday’s reshuffle marks yet more turbulence for the healthcare sector," Morpeth said. "It’s the unfortunate truth that the revolving door of decision-makers makes it hard to prioritise the many difficulties that healthcare teams and patients are currently facing."
It’s the unfortunate truth that the revolving door of decision-makers makes it hard to prioritise the many difficulties that healthcare teams and patients are currently facing
- Dr Louise Morpeth, CEO of Brain in Hand
Louise has over 20 years of senior leadership experience in the independent sector developing and testing innovations to improve user outcomes. She joined Brain in Hand in 2018 as Head of R&D and became Chief Exec in 2019. Brain in Hand provides a professional support service combining digital technology with human support to health and social care, education and employment organisations and directly to end users via funding pathways.
Until 2017, Morpeth was CEO of the Dartington Social Research Unit, a national research charity that brought evidence to bear on policy and practice. Louise was awarded a PhD by Exeter University in 2003 and is a fellow of the NHS Innovation Accelerator.
With this experience history, Morpeth has a unique perspective on how these reshuffles affect real people through their impact on the healthcare sector operations.
"A key problem is health inequalities, which are letting people down in tragic and avoidable ways," Morpeth added. "Take autism support, for example. There are over 150,000 currently on waiting lists for an assessment and this is set to rise to 190,000 by next year. Without the necessary support, more and more people are reaching a point of crisis. Real people are suffering due to a fundamental lack of support and while other forms of help (like technology) are easing these pressures, we need to address the root of the problem and make effective support for all a key and actionable priority.”