| Post: | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women's Health Strategy |
| Insignia: | Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (2022, lesser arms).svg |
| Insigniacaption: | Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government |
| Department: | Department of Health and Social Care |
| Incumbent: | Gillian Merron |
| Incumbentsince: | 5 July 2024 |
| Nominator: | Prime Minister |
| Appointer: | The Monarch |
| Appointer Qualified: | on advice of the Prime Minister |
| Termlength: | At His Majesty's pleasure |
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women's Health Strategy is a ministerial position within the Government of the United Kingdom, in charge of mental health and women's health policy.[1]
Following the general election in June 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May appointed Jackie Doyle-Price as the UK's first minister with responsibility for mental health. The portfolio was further expanded in October 2018, on World Mental Health Day, to include suicide prevention. This occurred while the UK government hosted the first ever global mental health summit.[2]
In July 2019, Nadine Dorries was appointed to the position in the incoming Johnson ministry, with additional responsibility for patient safety.[3] [4] As minister, Dorries assumed responsibility for the government's response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people's mental health.[5] The minister committed to an increase in government spending on mental health as a result of the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] In May 2020, the position was raised from Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to Minister of State.[7]
During the cabinet reshuffle in September 2021, Gillian Keegan was appointed Minister of State for Care and Mental Health, a position which combined with the mental health and social care portfolios.[8] In June 2022, the department published the Draft Mental Health Bill, stating the government's intention to modernise the existing Mental Health Act 1983.[9]
In September 2022, the incoming Truss ministry divided the mental health and care portfolios and appointed Caroline Johnson to the former, with responsibility for mental health and public health. Dr Johnson's tenure was unusually short, due to the collapse of the government in the following month. In October 2022, Maria Caulfield was appointed and given responsibility for mental health and women's health in the Sunak ministry.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women's Health Strategy leads on the following:
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Length of Term | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health, Inequalities and Suicide Prevention[10] | |||||||||
| Jackie Doyle-Price MP for Thurrock | 14 June 2017 | 27 July 2019 | Conservative | Theresa May | |||||
| Minister of State for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health | |||||||||
| Nadine Dorries MP for Mid Bedfordshire | 27 July 2019 | 15 September 2021 | Conservative | Boris Johnson | |||||
| Minister of State for Care and Mental Health[11] | |||||||||
| Gillian Keegan MP for Chichester | 16 September 2021 | 8 September 2022 | Conservative | Boris Johnson | |||||
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Public Health[12] | |||||||||
| Caroline Johnson MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham | 8 September 2022 | 27 October 2022 | Conservative | Liz Truss | |||||
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy | |||||||||
| Maria Caulfield MP for Lewes | 27 October 2022 | 5 July 2024 | Conservative | Rishi Sunak | |||||