Stephen Kinnock made minister responsible for primary and community care

Stephen Kinnock will cover adult social care as well as primary and community care under his role as care minister, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed.

The Labour MP for Aberafan Maesteg in Wales was appointed as minister of state of care last week, with his official portfolio being published on Friday 12 July.

Mr Kinnock will be working under health and social care secretary Wes Streeting and will be responsible for general practice, social care, community health and palliative care, among other areas.

Mr Kinnock has no prior experience in health policy, having previously held shadow ministerial roles covering the armed forces, foreign affairs and immigration.

Dr Crystal Oldman, chief executive of the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI), said the charity was ‘delighted’ at the appointment of Mr Kinnock to oversee social care, primary care and community care.

‘These are three major areas of service delivery in health and social care which are so often hidden when included in an overall health services brief,’ she added.

‘They are also areas in which Stephen will see nurse-led services which provide care for local communities, with all three sectors working closely with each other, and including public health too.

‘I very much look forward to working with Stephen and offering him the opportunity to shadow expert Queen’s Nurses in adult social care, primary care and all fields of practice in the community.’

The National Association of Primary Care (NAPC) also welcomed the appointment of Mr Kinnock and said it looked forward to ‘working with him on the priorities for primary and community care delivering high quality care for patients’.

The DHSC’s other minister of state, Karin Smyth, will cover secondary care including NHS workforce and urgent and emergency care.

Ms Smyth previously worked as a non-executive director of a primary care trust.

The DHSC has also confirmed the appointment of two other junior ministers, Andrew Gywnne and Baroness Merron, who will cover wider issues in the department’s portfolio.

Mr Gwynne, the MP for Gorton and Denton, has taken on responsibility for public health and prevention, covering issues such as antimicrobial resistance, addiction and long-term conditions.

Baroness Merron has joined DHSC from the House of Lords, and will be responsible for patient experience and safety, mental health, and women’s health.

A version of this article was first published by our sister title Pulse