Samantha Jones has been appointed as the new Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), replacing Chris Wormald who left the post in December 2024 to take up the role of Cabinet Secretary.
Samantha began her career as a nurse in the NHS and was a hospital Chief Executive before moving to NHS England to lead the New Models of Care programme. She is a former Chief Executive of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust and the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, and has also led one of the largest primary care providers in England. Since her time in the NHS, Samantha served as an expert advisor to the PM on NHS Transformation and Social Care in 2021, before taking up post as the interim Permanent Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for 10 Downing Street. She is currently a non-executive director at DHSC, and the Chief Operating Officer for Xlinks, a renewable energy company.
Critical time for the DHSC
As the government rebuilds the NHS as part of its Plan for Change, Samantha will be responsible for building a team to deliver this vital transformation, including appointing a Chief Operating Officer and welcoming NHS England colleagues back into the department.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting MP says: “Samantha brings a wealth of experience from the frontline of healthcare as a general and paediatric nurse – she knows what it is like to be working on wards and will translate that expertise to her work across the department.
“Equally, her work in senior management roles across both Whitehall and the health and social care sector will prove invaluable as we reintegrate NHS England back into the department to cut red tape, reduce duplication and make it fit for the future as part of our Plan for Change.”
