Una O'Brien
Permanent Secretary, Department of Health
Which events or policies have dominated your attention during 2012, and how have you tackled them?
Our major priority has been reform of the health and care system – seeing legislation through Parliament in the first half of the year, then guiding a huge programme of change and implementation. Throughout, my focus has been on two things: ensuring we have the highest calibre of executive and non-executive leadership; and staying clear about our purpose – improving the quality of health and care within protected resources.
How have the shape and capabilities of your department changed during 2012?
DH is moving away from being the headquarters of the NHS and towards becoming a more balanced organisation that acts as a steward for the health and care system as a whole. In the future, while delivery through to NHS and social care systems will remain crucially important, DH will be paying increasing attention to helping people live better for longer, and to prevention and earlier diagnosis.
Which aspects of the Civil Service Reform Plan are most important to improving the capabilities and operations of your department?
All parts of the Civil Service Reform Plan are relevant to DH. This year we’ve made a step change in our capability on programme and project management, and next year I want to focus on commercial skills. As a largely policy department, horizon-scanning will always be an important part of our work, and I want us to connect better to other government departments.
What are the main challenges facing your department in 2013?
Seeing through the changes, knowing that the hardest part of big change is often in the first 12-18 months, when a new system is young, relationships unformed and operational capability untested. Our main challenge will be to ensure that NHS performance stays on track and that collectively we come up with better and more sustainable ways of improving social care.
Cracker jokes are notoriously bad. Can you give your colleagues a good joke to tell over the Christmas dinner table?
What do Santa’s helpers use when they’re sick?
The National Elf Service
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