UK Department of Health

The Department of Health (DH) helps people to live better for longer. We lead, shape and fund health and care in England, making sure people have the support, care and treatment they need, with the compassion, respect and dignity they deserve. The Department of Health sets the direction and coordinates action across the health and care system: public health and adult social care as well as the NHS. We create national policies and legislation, providing the long term vision and ambition to meet current and future challenges, and act as a global leader in health and care policy. We work with our partners to ensure everyone can access the health and care they need, from supporting people to have the best start in life, to staying in good health and, where that might not be possible, supporting people to live as independently as they can and ensuring they receive the best possible care. We want to instil a culture that values compassion, dignity and the highest quality of care. We support the integrity of the system by providing funding, assuring the delivery and continuity of services, and accounting to Parliament. We champion innovation and improvement by supporting research and technology, promoting honesty, openness and transparency. Above all, we encourage staff in every health and care organisation, including our own, to understand and learn from people’s experience of health and care and to apply this to everything we do.