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
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''(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 ...
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
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, mai ...
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 an ...
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 pe ...
(1855–1876)
*
Edward Cator Seaton
Edward Cator Seaton (1815 – 21 January 1880) was an English doctor who became the second Chief Medical Officer (United Kingdom), Chief Medical Officer of the United Kingdom.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 ...
Sir Wilson Jameson
''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 ...
* 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 D ...
(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 En ...
(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 ...
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 directorates of the Scottish Government. They are responsible for NHS Scotland, as well as policies on the development and implementation of health and social care.
The Chief Executive of ...
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
Sir Andrew Davidson (1892–1962) was an academic, footballer, public health official, royal physician and soldier. He was knighted in 1946.
There are five photographic portraits by Walter Stoneman
Walter Ernest Stoneman (6 April 187 ...
(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 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 28 March 1935 i ...
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 Universit ...
(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)
See also
*
Medical officer of health
A medical officer of health, also known as a medical health officer, chief health officer, chief public health officer or district medical officer, is the title commonly used for the senior government official of a health department, usually at a m ...
*
Chief Dental Officers (United Kingdom)
The Chief Dental Officers (or CDOs) in the United Kingdom are the most senior advisors for dentistry in each of the four UK governments, and are the heads of the dental profession. The CDO is one of the six chief professional officers, one for e ...
*
Chief Nursing Officer (United Kingdom)
The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) is the most senior advisor on nursing matters in a government. There are CNOs in the United Kingdom who are appointed to advise their respective governments: His Majesty's Government, the Northern Ireland Executive, ...
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 ...