Chief Medical Officers (United Kingdom) Explained

In the United Kingdom, a chief medical officer (CMO) is the most senior government advisor on matter relating to health. There are four chief medical officers in the United Kingdom who are appointed to advise their respective governments:

• His Majesty's Government (CMO for England and medical advisor to the United Kingdom government)
• Scottish Government^[1]
• Welsh Government
• Northern Ireland Executive

Each CMO is assisted by one or more deputy chief medical officers, and complemented by a chief nursing officer.

The chief medical officer is a qualified medical doctor whose medical speciality traditionally was public health medicine, and whose work focused on the health of communities rather than health of individuals. More recently, some appointees have been senior clinicians without training in public health medicine. In the UK, the CMO is one of the chief professional officers who advise the government in their respective health and social care disciplines.^[2] The CMO has independent statutory authority, first established in the 19th century, to issue reports without requiring government approval.^[3]

Chief Medical Officers for England

See also: National Health Service (England). The historic post was created in Victorian times to help to prevent cholera and other epidemics.^[4] In 1969, the post of Chief Medical Officer for Wales was created, and prior to this both England and Wales were covered by the post of Chief Medical Officer of England and Wales.

• Sir John Simon (1855–1876)
• Edward Cator Seaton (1876–1879)
• Sir George Buchanan (1879–1892)
• Sir Richard Thorne Thorne (1892–1899)
• Sir William Henry Power (1900–1908)
• Sir Arthur Newsholme (1908–1919)
• Sir George Newman (1919–1935)
• Sir Arthur MacNalty (1935–1940)
• Sir Wilson Jameson (1940–1950)
• Sir John Charles (1950–1960)
• Sir George Godber (1960–1973)
• Sir Henry Yellowlees (1973–1984)
• Sir Donald Acheson (1984–1991)
• Sir Kenneth Calman (1991–1998)
• Sir Liam Donaldson (1998–May 2010)^{[4] [5]}
• Dame Sally Davies (June 2010–September 2019)^[6]
• Sir Chris Whitty (October 2019–present)^{[7] [8]}

Deputies

• John Reid (1972 to 1977) ^[9]
• Liz Shore (1977 to 1985) ^[10]
• Michael Abrams (1985 to 1992) ^[11]
• David Walker (2013 to 2015)^[12]
• John Watson (2013 to 2017)^[13]
• Gina Radford (2015 to 2019)^[14]
• Jenny Harries (July 2019 to March 2021)^[15]
• Sir Jonathan Van-Tam (October 2017–March 2022)^[16]
• Aidan Fowler (March 2020–present)^[17]
• Thomas Waite interim (May 2021–present)^[18]
• Jeanelle de Gruchy (September 2021 – present)^[19]
• Thomas Waite (April 2022 – present)^[20]

Chief Medical Officers for Scotland

See also: NHS Scotland. Through various reorganisations, the CMOs for Scotland has been the chief medical officer in the Local Government Board for Scotland, Scottish Board of Health, Department of Health for Scotland, the Scottish Home and Health Department, the Scottish Executive Health Department and now the Scottish Government:^[21]

• J. B. McLintock (1894–1898)
• James Burn Russell (1898–1904)^{[22] [23] [24] [25] [26]}
• Sir Leslie Mackenzie (1904–1929)
• J. P. Kinloch (1929–1932)
• J. L. Brownlie (1932–1937)
• J. M. Mackintosh (1937–1941)
• Sir Andrew Davidson (1941–1954)
• Sir Kenneth Cowan (1954–1964)
• Sir John Brotherston (1964–1977)
• Sir John Reid (1977–1985)
• Iain Macdonald (1985–1989)
• Sir Kenneth Calman (1989–1991)
• Robert Kendell (1991–1996)
• Sir David Carter (1996–2000)
• Ernest Macalpine ("Mac") Armstrong (2000–2005)
• Sir Harry Burns (2005–2014)^[27]
• Aileen Keel (2014–2015; acting)
• Catherine Calderwood (2015–2020)
• Sir Gregor Smith (2020–present; acting until 23 December 2020, thereafter permanent)

Chief Medical Officers for Wales

See also: NHS Wales. The Welsh post^[28] was created in 1969. Prior to this there was one post for both England and Wales, the Chief Medical Officer for England and Wales.^[21]

• Richard Bevan (1969–1977)
• Gareth Crompton (1978–1989)
• Dame Deirdre Hine (1990–1997)
• Ruth Hall (1997–2005)
• David Salter (July 2005–April 2006; acting)
• Tony Jewell (April 2006 – 2012)
• Ruth Hussey (2012–2016)
• Chris Jones (March–July 2016; acting)
• Sir Frank Atherton (August 2016 – present)

Chief Medical Officers for Northern Ireland

See also: Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland.

• William Richard Dawson (1922–1929) Chief Medical Officer of Ministry of Home Affairs, Northern Ireland^[29]
• Frank F. Main (1954–1968)
• Thomas Terence Baird (1973–1978)^[30]
• Bob Weir (1978–1986)^[31]
• James McKenna (1988–1995)^[30]
• Henrietta Campbell (1995–2006)
• Sir Michael McBride (2006–present)

See also

• Medical officer of health
• Chief Dental Officers (United Kingdom)
• Chief Nursing Officer (United Kingdom)
• Government Chief Scientific Adviser (United Kingdom)

External links

• Chief Medical Officers

Notes and References

1. Web site: Chief Medical Officer (CMO) . Scottish Government . 2 July 2014 . 14 July 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714183140/http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/17914/10696 . dead .
2. Web site: Chief professional officers . Department of Health (UK) . http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107105354/http://dh.gov.uk/health/about-us/people/cpo/ . 7 January 2013 . 27 December 2016.
3. Under the spotlight: understanding the role of the Chief Medical Officer in a pandemic . MacAulay M, Macintyre AK, Yashadhana A, etal . Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health . 76 . 1. January 2022 . 100–104 . 10.1136/jech-2021-216850 . 34407995 . 8666819 . 17 December 2021.
4. Web site: Chief Medical Officer: biography . Department of Health (UK) . 2007 . 15 August 2007.
5. Web site: The Senior Team . Department of Health. 12 March 2010.
6. Web site: Professor Dame Sally C Davies . Department of Health. 18 May 2014.
7. Web site: New chief medical officer appointed . GOV.UK . Department of Health and Social Care . 10 October 2019 . 14 June 2019.
8. Web site: gov.uk. Professor Chris Whitty. 11 January 2023.
9. Web site: Obituary: Sir John Reid. 2021-04-09. GOV.UK. en.
10. Web site: Dr Liz Shore. 2022-03-20. guardian.com. 18 March 2022. en.
11. Web site: Michael Abrams obituary. 2022-05-02. guardian.com. 19 August 2019. en.
12. Web site: Professor David Walker. 2021-04-09. GOV.UK. en.
13. Web site: Professor John Watson. 2021-04-09. GOV.UK. en.
14. Web site: Professor Gina Radford. 2021-04-09. GOV.UK. en.
15. Web site: Dr Jenny Harries OBE. 2020-12-09. GOV.UK. en.
16. Web site: Professor Jonathan Van-Tam. 2020-12-09. GOV.UK. en.
17. Web site: Dr Aidan Fowler. 2020-12-09. GOV.UK. en.
18. Web site: 13 May 2021. New interim deputy chief medical officer for England announced. live. 2021-07-30. GOV.UK. https://web.archive.org/web/20210513140133/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-interim-deputy-chief-medical-officer-for-england-announced . 13 May 2021 .
19. Web site: New body to tackle health disparities will launch 1 October, co-headed by new DCMO. 2021-09-03. GOV.UK. en.
20. Web site: New Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England announced . 2022-04-14 . GOV.UK . en.
21. Web site: A Chronology of State Medicine, Public Health, Welfare and Related Services in Britain 1066–1999 . Royal College of Physicians of England . Michael D . Warren . 302–304 . 18 May 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924015045/http://www.fph.org.uk/uploads/r_chronology_of_state_medicine.pdf . 24 September 2015 . dead.
22. Web site: James B Russell . The Glasgow Story . 29 May 2016.
23. Web site: James Burn Russell . University of Glasgow . 29 May 2016.
24. Web site: Public health administration in Glasgow; a memorial volume of the writings of James Burn Russell. Hathi Trust Digital Library . 29 May 2016.
25. EDNA ROBERTSON, Glasgow's Doctor: James Burn Russell, 1837-1904 (review) . Scottish Economic & Social History . November 1999 . 19 . 2 . 174–176 . EU Publishing. 10.3366/sesh.1999.19.2.174 . 29 May 2016. Smith . David F. .
26. Glasgow's Doctor: James Burn Russell, MOH, 1837-1904 (review) . 2000 . Johns Hopkins University . 10.1353/bhm.2000.0025 . 29 May 2016. Lawrence . Christopher . Bulletin of the History of Medicine . 74 . 171 . 71853151 .
27. Web site: Sir Harry Burns . The Scottish Government, Health & Community Care . 23 January 2014 . 18 May 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150619234251/http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Sir-Harry-Burns-881.aspx . 19 June 2015.
28. Web site: Health and social care: Chief Medical Officer . Welsh Government . 2 July 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141110234325/http://wales.gov.uk/topics/health/cmo/?lang=en . 10 November 2014.
29. Western Daily Press, Bristol, 30 October 1950; Bath Wills: British Medical Journal 1950 Obituary
30. Web site: Four Decades of Public Health : Northern Ireland's health boards 1973 – 2009. Public Health Agency NI. 4 October 2018.
31. Web site: The Dictionary of Ulster Biography. New Ulster Biography. 20 April 2016.