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Social media watch: Hunt becomes longest-serving health secretary

Social media watch: Hunt becomes longest-serving health secretary
By Léa Legraien Reporter
4 June 2018



Internet users have not welcomed the fact that health and social care secretary Jeremy Hunt has become the longest-serving health secretary in the history of NHS England.

Mr Hunt, who was appointed health secretary in 2012, has now been in his role for five years and 274 days, surpassing Margaret Thatcher’s health secretary Norman Fowler who held the position for five years and 273 days.

In January, Prime Minister Theresa May announced that while Mr Hunt would remain in his post, his responsibilities would be extended to include social care.

As the landmark date rolled around, social media users took to Twitter to criticise Mr Hunt’s NHS reign:

‘Calamitous’

A ‘privilege’

Mr Hunt wrote on Twitter: ‘Sometimes time has flown, at others it’s been achingly slow, but every second of the last five plus year has been a privilege.

‘Thanks NHS England for being extraordinary in so many ways: much more impressive than a long serving health and social care secretary are the staff who have devoted 10, 15 or 20 years plus to patients.

‘Some have asked what are the biggest things I wish I had known when I started, [which are] too many to list, but the top [ones] are the importance of detailed workforce planning, critical link between NHS England and social care and that if you want to improve patient safety there is no change without culture change.’

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