Department of Health and Social Care
Yvette Cooper has been Secretary of State for Health and Social Care since 20 July 2026, according to the UK Parliament Members API. HM Treasury's PESA 2026 records total departmental expenditure limits of £217.4 billion in 2025-26, with plans of £226.2 billion for 2026-27. In 2025-26 prices, the department's total DEL was £227.1 billion in 2021-22 and £217.4 billion in 2025-26. The Cabinet Office's Civil Service Statistics 2026 count 10,705 civil servants (11,115 a year earlier) at 31 March 2026, by headcount. The median salary of its civil servants was £47,890, and 64.7% of those whose sex is recorded were women. The National Audit Office's most recent report listed for the department is "Managing the flow of patients through hospital from A&E" (9 September 2026).
Spending
| Financial year | Total DEL | Resource DEL | Capital DEL | Administration budget | Total managed expenditure | Total DEL, 2025-26 prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 outturn | £187.3 billion | £178.2 billion | £9.1 billion | £2.6 billion | £273.3 billion | £227.1 billion |
| 2022-23 outturn | £182.1 billion | £172.3 billion | £9.8 billion | £2.7 billion | £169.7 billion | £206.4 billion |
| 2023-24 outturn | £188.6 billion | £178.1 billion | £10.5 billion | £2.4 billion | £201.4 billion | £203.0 billion |
| 2024-25 outturn | £204.7 billion | £193.2 billion | £11.5 billion | £2.4 billion | £226.6 billion | £211.8 billion |
| 2025-26 outturn | £217.4 billion | £204.1 billion | £13.3 billion | £3.2 billion | £244.1 billion | £217.4 billion |
| 2026-27 plans | £226.2 billion | £212.3 billion | £13.9 billion | £3.4 billion | £256.5 billion | £221.8 billion |
| 2027-28 plans | £235.1 billion | £221.3 billion | £13.8 billion | £3.0 billion | £268.7 billion | £226.1 billion |
| 2028-29 plans | £245.9 billion | £231.2 billion | £14.8 billion | £2.8 billion | £281.3 billion | £232.2 billion |
Source: HM Treasury, PESA 2026, Chapter 1. What DEL and total managed expenditure cover.
Civil service staff
| Measure | 31 March 2026 | 31 March 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Headcount | 10,705 | 11,115 |
| Full-time equivalent | 10,305 | 10,675 |
| Median salary | £47,890 | – |
| Women, % of known sex | 64.7% | – |
| Responsibility level | Headcount |
|---|---|
| Senior Civil Service | 690 |
| Grade 6 or Grade 7 | 3,960 |
| Senior or Higher Executive Officer | 4,330 |
| Executive Officer | 1,165 |
| Administrative Assistant or Administrative Officer | 560 |
| With an unreported grade | 0 |
| Organisation | Headcount |
|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care (excl. agencies) | 3,275 |
| Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency | 1,610 |
| UK Health Security Agency | 5,820 |
Source: Civil Service Statistics 2026 and 2025, Cabinet Office.
Secretary of State
Yvette Cooper (Labour, MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley) has held the post of Secretary of State for Health and Social Care since 20 July 2026. UK Parliament: career · Yvette Cooper's record in Parliament
National Audit Office reports
- Managing the flow of patients through hospital from A&E 9 September 2026
- The costs of tackling drug harms in prisons 4 February 2026
- Update on the New Hospital Programme 16 January 2026
- Department of Health & Social Care Accounts 2024-25 11 December 2025
- Primary and community healthcare support for people living with frailty 5 December 2025
- The financial sustainability of England’s adult hospice sector 29 October 2025
- Costs of clinical negligence 17 October 2025
- NHS England’s management of elective care transformation programmes 24 March 2025
- Investigation into how government is addressing antimicrobial resistance 26 February 2025
- Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 17 December 2024
Related key figures: NHS waiting list (England) · NHS employment (UK).
All departments · Budgets and OBR forecasts · Department of Health and Social Care on GOV.UK
Sources
- HM Treasury: Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2026, Chapter 1 tables · file read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
0e88d4904e74… - Cabinet Office: Civil Service Statistics 2026, statistical tables · file read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
d10012973a8f… - Cabinet Office: Civil Service Statistics 2025, statistical tables · file read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
a72891098003… - UK Parliament Members API: government posts · file read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
b15347608959… - National Audit Office: reports by department · file read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
9cb65415b7b3…