By Claire Racine

The chief executive of The King’s Fund has revealed frustration by the changing of the Secretary of State for Health and feels that it is not in the best interest of the health service.

“However," added, Niall Dickson, "if a change had to be made we welcome the choice of Andy Burnham. He has experience of the health system both as a minister and in his earlier career and he has shown he is committed to the NHS and to reform.”

Dickson went on to explain the challenges the new Secretary of State will have to face. The Secretary will have to deliver on the promise of a Green Paper on the funding of social care, which will affect millions of elderly and disabled people.

Furthermore, the Government will need to maintain its momentum of reform.

The government “has made quality of care its number one priority,” Dickson said. “Now as the NHS heads towards an era of low or zero growth it is essential that that focus on quality is maintained while doing everything possible to drive efficiency and productivity.”

The King’s Fund is a charity that tries to understand how to improve the health system in England and thereby help shape policy, transform services and bring about behaviour change.

Dickson ended by saying that the only thing known for certain is that since the demand for health care is going to rise, it is critical that the health service takes this time to redesign the way services are run.

"It will be the job of the new Secretary of State to support the individuals attempting to make such a change," he said.