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Department of Health and Social Care

Department of Health and Social Care

The Department of Health is responsible for government policy on health and adult social care matters in England. It oversees the National Health Service (NHS), public health, and social care services to improve health outcomes and ensure effective healthcare delivery.

Enquiries

Ministerial Correspondence & Public Enquiries Unit
Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0EU

Communication Overview

Total releases

Number of press releases published by this department during the last 12 months, based on publicly available announcements.
328

Avg per month

Average number of press releases published per calendar month over the last 12 months. This smooths short-term fluctuations in publishing activity.
13.7

Avg word count

Average length of published press releases, measured in words. Calculated only for months where content was published.
1386

Avg readability

Average Flesch Reading Ease score across all published press releases. Higher values indicate plainer English. Scores are indicative only and vary by subject matter.
33.3

Friday PM releases

Percentage of press releases published after 3pm on Fridays, relative to the department’s total output during the period.
2.3%

Single-release items

Estimated proportion of announcements published once, without a closely related follow-up release during the same period. This is based on similarity of titles and timing.
98.9%
Metrics are descriptive only and indicate publication patterns rather than intent or impact.

Releases per month

Based on publicly published press releases (last 12 months)

4075 articles

Showing 1-30

More children to be protected from deadly viruses

More children to be protected from deadly viruses

Sunday, 22 February 2026

New changes to the GP contract will help protect thousands more children across the country from deadly and highly infectious diseases....

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Patients to benefit from improved access to dental appointments

Patients to benefit from improved access to dental appointments

Saturday, 21 February 2026

Patients across the country will have better access to NHS dentistry, boosting earlier intervention, prevention and continuity of care....

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PATHWAYS clinical trial paused following new MHRA advice

PATHWAYS clinical trial paused following new MHRA advice

Friday, 20 February 2026

MHRA has raised new concerns around the PATHWAYS trial looking into the prescription of puberty blockers among young people with gender incongruence....

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New technology and medicines to combat drug and alcohol addiction

New technology and medicines to combat drug and alcohol addiction

Thursday, 19 February 2026

Innovators across the UK are being offered £20 million in grants for technology designed to reduce harm and death from drug and alcohol addiction....

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£400 cash boost for disabled adults to tackle cost of living

£400 cash boost for disabled adults to tackle cost of living

Tuesday, 17 February 2026

150,000 disabled adults to keep £400 more cash each year to help with cost of living, and £700 million to support tens of thousands of home adaptation...

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Parents urged to protect children through vaccination campaign

Parents urged to protect children through vaccination campaign

Monday, 16 February 2026

New vaccination campaign launched to boost uptake of childhood immunisations....

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Funding boost for young people’s mental health services

Funding boost for young people’s mental health services

Friday, 13 February 2026

Early support hubs across England to receive a £7 million funding boost to bolster services for young people....

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Children to be better protected from second hand smoking and vaping

Children to be better protected from second hand smoking and vaping

Friday, 13 February 2026

The government is launching a consultation on extending smoke-free places and introducing vape-free and heated tobacco-free spaces....

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Nurses to benefit from boost to graduate pay and job progression

Nurses to benefit from boost to graduate pay and job progression

Wednesday, 11 February 2026

Government and Royal College of Nursing agree comprehensive package to recognise value of profession. ...

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Targeted financial support for aspiring social workers

Targeted financial support for aspiring social workers

Friday, 06 February 2026

Social work students to receive targeted financial support, under plans set out in a consultation launched by the government today (6 February 2026)....

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Three in four cancer patients to survive long term under new plan

Three in four cancer patients to survive long term under new plan

Thursday, 05 February 2026

Patients will receive faster diagnosis, quicker treatment and the support to live well with cancer under the government’s landmark new National Cancer...

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Health Secretary, Wes Streeting launches National Cancer Plan

Health Secretary, Wes Streeting launches National Cancer Plan

Wednesday, 04 February 2026

The Secretary of State launched the National Cancer Plan today at the Royal Free Hospital in North London....

Every cancer patient to get individual support plan

Every cancer patient to get individual support plan

Wednesday, 04 February 2026

Under the government's National Cancer Plan, every patient will be given a tailored plan covering treatment, mental health and employment support....

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Government to cover travel costs of children with cancer

Government to cover travel costs of children with cancer

Tuesday, 03 February 2026

£10 million financial support package for families of children and young people with cancer to cover travel costs to and from appointments....

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Advice accepted on extending the RSV vaccination programme

Advice accepted on extending the RSV vaccination programme

Monday, 02 February 2026

The government has accepted advice on eligibility from the JCVI for the RSV vaccination programme....

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Greater access to breakthrough trials for rare cancer patients

Greater access to breakthrough trials for rare cancer patients

Saturday, 31 January 2026

Better chance of survival for people with rare cancers thanks to a new government approach to clinical trials and access to breakthrough treatments...

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New fund to tackle cancer screening inequalities and save lives

New fund to tackle cancer screening inequalities and save lives

Thursday, 29 January 2026

£200 million for local cancer care to address gap in screening uptake and reduce screening inequalities in deprived areas....

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Crackdown on illegal underage sunbed use to cut teen cancer risk

Crackdown on illegal underage sunbed use to cut teen cancer risk

Saturday, 24 January 2026

The government plans to crack down on illegal underage sunbed use to cut cancer risks to teenagers....

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Government to end cancer postcode lottery for patients

Government to end cancer postcode lottery for patients

Thursday, 22 January 2026

People living in rural and coastal areas will find it easier to see a cancer specialist as the government works to end the postcode lottery for care....

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Life saving Jess’s Rule to be advertised in every GP surgery

Life saving Jess’s Rule to be advertised in every GP surgery

Saturday, 17 January 2026

Government rolling out Jess's Rule posters to all GP surgeries in England to act as reminder of a life-saving patient safety initiative....

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Waiting lists cut 3 times faster in highest joblessness areas

Waiting lists cut 3 times faster in highest joblessness areas

Wednesday, 14 January 2026

Waiting lists in 20 areas in England fall 3 times faster than the national average thanks to experts deployed by government to help supercharge NHS ca...

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Modernising the NHS to meet changing demands

Modernising the NHS to meet changing demands

Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, delivers a keynote speech on NHS reform at the Institute for Government's annual confere...

Healthcare innovator appointed to Health Data Research Service

Healthcare innovator appointed to Health Data Research Service

Monday, 12 January 2026

Healthcare industry innovator Dr Melanie Ivarsson has been appointed as CEO of the Health Data Research Service (HDRS) to accelerate medical breakthro...

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Landmark junk food ad ban to protect kids' health

Landmark junk food ad ban to protect kids' health

Monday, 05 January 2026

Children will be protected from exposure to junk food ads under new regulations, in a bid to tackle childhood obesity....

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Families to have better access to childhood vaccinations

Families to have better access to childhood vaccinations

Thursday, 01 January 2026

A new £2 million pilot will see health visitors reach families facing barriers to vaccines, to ensure more children are protected....

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500 new ambulances deployed to boost NHS winter response

500 new ambulances deployed to boost NHS winter response

Wednesday, 31 December 2025

Patients and staff across the country are benefiting from a new fleet of over 500 ambulances....

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New ambulances deployed to boost NHS winter response

New ambulances deployed to boost NHS winter response

Wednesday, 31 December 2025

More than 500 new ambulances will be deployed in England to cut response times for patients in every region....

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Lives to be saved by boosting access to drug overdose medication

Lives to be saved by boosting access to drug overdose medication

Monday, 29 December 2025

Government launches consultation to help combat rising drug deaths from opioids, as part of record £3.4 billion in investment in drug and alcohol serv...

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Government extends free NHS services for care leavers

Government extends free NHS services for care leavers

Tuesday, 23 December 2025

Major boost for children leaving care with free prescriptions, dental and eyecare services....

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Mental Health Bill receives Royal Assent, revolutionising care

Mental Health Bill receives Royal Assent, revolutionising care

Thursday, 18 December 2025

The Mental Health Bill has received Royal Assent to modernise outdated mental health laws and improve care for seriously ill patients....

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