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Change is sweeping through Westminster as the newly elected Labour government makes strategic cabinet appointments following their landslide victory in the general election held on Thursday, July 4. With Sir Keir Starmer stepping in as the new Prime Minister and Wes Streeting assuming the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care role, the announcement of Karin Smyth and Stephen Kinnock as health ministers on Monday marked a pivotal moment in Labour's healthcare agenda. Who is the new Minister of State for Health? Karin Smyth, the Labour MP for Bristol South, has been appointed as Minister of State for Health. Smyth has a robust background in healthcare, having served as a shadow spokesperson on health since December 2021. Her previous roles include Shadow Minister for Northern Ireland and Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons. Before her parliamentary career, Smyth worked as an NHS Manager and held a non-executive director position at an NHS Trust.

The Company Chemists' Association (CCA) has responded positively to the Labour Party's manifesto, which outlines plans to bolster community pharmacy services and shift the NHS towards a more localized, prevention-focused model. Key proposals include the creation of a Community Pharmacist Prescribing Service and the enhancement of care delivery in local communities. Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive of the CCA, expressed strong support for these initiatives and said: "We welcome the Labour Party Manifesto's clear focus on moving to a 'Neighbourhood Health Service', prevention, and the return of the 'family doctor'." "Harnessing community pharmacy is crucial to delivering each of these," Harrison added.