In the United Kingdom, a Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is the most senior government advisor on matter relating to health. There are four CMOs in the United Kingdom who are appointed to advise their respective governments: *

His Majesty's Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

''(CMO for England and medical adviser to the United Kingdom government)'' * Scottish Government *

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...

Northern Ireland Executive The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branch of the legislature – the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is answerable to the assembly and was initially established according to the ter ...

Each CMO is assisted by one or more Deputy Chief Medical Officers, and complemented by a

Chief Nursing Officer Nursing management consists of the performance of the leadership functions of governance and decision-making within organizations employing nurses. It includes processes common to all management like planning, organizing, staffing, directing and ...

. The Chief Medical Officer is a qualified

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

whose medical speciality traditionally was

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

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. The CMO has independent statutory authority, first established in the 19th century, to issue reports without requiring government approval.

Chief Medical Officers for England

The historic post was created in Victorian times to help to prevent

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

and other epidemics. 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 John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon, (28 February 1873 – 11 January 1954), was a British politician who held senior Cabinet posts from the beginning of the First World War to the end of the Second World War. He is one of only three peop ...

(1855–1876) *

Edward Cator Seaton Edward Cator Seaton (1815 – 21 January 1880) was an English doctor who became the second Chief Medical Officer of the United Kingdom.

(1876–1879) * Sir George Buchanan (1879–1892) * Sir Richard Thorne Thorne (1892–1899) *

Sir William Henry Power ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

(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) * Dame Sally Davies (June 2010–September 2019) *

Sir Chris Whitty Sir Christopher John MacRae Whitty (born 21 April 1966) is a British epidemiologist serving as Chief Medical Officer for England (CMO) and Chief Medical Adviser to the UK Government since 2019. He has also been Gresham Professor of Physic sinc ...

(October 2019–present)

Deputies

* Liz Shore (1977 to 1985) * Michael Abrams (1985 to 1992) * David Walker (2013 to 2015) *John Watson (2013 to 2017) *

Gina Radford Georgina Margaret Radford (born 25 April 1955) is a British priest in the Church of England and a former public health physician. Since June 2019, she has been team vicar in the Dart and Avon Mission Community in South Brent, Devon, in the Dioc ...

(2015 to 2019) *

Jenny Harries Dame Jennifer Margaret Harries is a British public health physician who has been the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency and head of NHS Test and Trace since April 2021. She was previously a regional director at Public Health Engl ...

(July 2019 to March 2021) * Sir Jonathan Van-Tam (October 2017–March 2022) * Aidan Fowler (March 2020–present) *Thomas Waite ''interim'' (May 2021–present) *

Jeanelle de Gruchy Dr Jeanelle Louise de Gruchy is a UK public health official. Dr de Gruchy has been serving as a Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England since 3 September 2021. She previously served as Director of Public Health (DPH) for Tameside in Greater Ma ...

(September 2021 – present) *Thomas Waite (April 2022 – present)

Chief Medical Officers for Scotland

Through various reorganisations, the CMOs for Scotland has been the chief medical officer in the

Local Government Board for Scotland The Local Government Board for Scotland was the body charged with overseeing local government, public health, housing and poor law of Scotland from 1894 to 1919. Establishment The board was established by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1894. ...

, Scottish Board of Health, Department of Health for Scotland, the Scottish Home and Health Department, the

Scottish Executive Health Department The Health and Social Care Directorates are a group of Ministry (government department), directorates of the Scottish Government. They are responsible for NHS Scotland, as well as policies on the development and implementation of Healthcare in Scot ...

and now the Scottish Government: *J. B. McLintock (1894–1898) *James Burn Russell (1898–1904) *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 Robert Evan Kendell, (28 March 1935 − 19 December 2002) was a British people, British psychiatrist. He was Chief Medical Officer of Scotland 1991−96 and President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists 1996−99. Background He was born on ...

(1991–1996) * Sir David Carter (1996–2000) * Ernest Macalpine ("Mac") Armstrong (2000–2005) * Sir Harry Burns (2005–2014) *

Aileen Keel Aileen Margaret Keel CBE FRCPath FRCPG FRCPE FRCSE FRCGP (born 12 August 1952) is a Scottish medical doctor and academic who is serving as the Director of the Innovative Healthcare Delivery Programme at the University of Edinburgh. She previo ...

(2014–2015; acting) *

Catherine Calderwood Catherine Jane Calderwood FRCOG FRCPE (born 26 December 1968) is Northern-Irish born Scottish consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, who has served as the National Clinical Director for Sustainable Delivery at the Golden Jubilee University ...

(2015–2020) *

Sir Gregor Smith Sir Gregor Ian Smith is a Scottish general practitioner (GP), who has served as the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland since December 2020. He previously served in the position of Deputy Chief Medical Officer and from April 2020, until his appo ...

(2020–present; acting until 23 December 2020, thereafter permanent)

Chief Medical Officers for Wales

The Welsh post was created in 1969. Prior to this there was one post for both England and Wales, the Chief Medical Officer for England and Wales. *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 Ruth Carol Hussey (October 30, 1911 – April 19, 2005) was an American actress best known for her Academy Award-nominated role as photographer Elizabeth Imbrie in '' The Philadelphia Story''. Early life Hussey was born in Providence, Rhode I ...

(2012–2016) *Chris Jones (March–July 2016; acting) * Sir Frank Atherton (August 2016 – present)

Chief Medical Officers for Northern Ireland

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

References

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External links

Chief Medical Officers

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Government occupations Government of Northern Ireland Government of Scotland Government of Wales Health in the United Kingdom Civil Service (United Kingdom) Administrators in the National Health Service Public health in the United Kingdom