The Department of Health’s overall purpose is to ensure better health and well-being, better care and better value for all.

We do this by:

Setting direction

We have responsibility for standards of health care in the country, including the NHS. We set the strategic framework for adult social care and influence local authority spend on social care. We also set the direction on promoting and protecting the public's health, taking the lead on issues like environmental hazards to health, infectious diseases, health promotion and education, the safety of medicines, and ethical issues.

Our work in setting direction includes:

• Strategy
• Policy
• Legislation and regulation
• Allocating resources
• The NHS operating framework
• Local Area Agreements.

Supporting delivery

We are responsible for finding the best way to develop, support and mobilise the health and social care system to deliver improvements for patients and the public.

Our work in supporting delivery includes:

• Performance monitoring and evaluation
• Managerial and professional leadership for external groups
• Building capacity and capability
• Ensuring value for money.

Leading health and well-being for government

We lead the integration of health and well-being into wider government policy, working with other sectors and systems with which we do not have a direct relationship with, as well as integrating wider public policy into health and care services. We also take the lead internationally on some health issues for the UK.

Our work on leading health and well-being for Government includes:

• working with the wider public sector, the third and private sectors on issues such as health protection or lifestyle choices, including integrating health and well-being with other Government agendas at regional level through our regional teams
• working with international partners, including the European Union (EU), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Accounting to Parliament and the public

We are responsible for supporting ministers in accounting to the public and Parliament. Public trust in the democratic process and in information provided by the Government is very important and it is vital that ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament and to the public.

We are also responsible for looking after and allocating public money to the NHS and adult social care services. We have the responsibility to explain to the public how their money is being spent, and what is being achieved as a result.

Our work on accounting to Parliament and the public includes:

• answering parliamentary questions - both written and oral and dealing with other Parliamentary business, debates and enquiries
• responding to letters, emails, and phone calls from the public and members of Parliament
• communicating to the public through the media and through visits and speeches.

Supporting DH staff to succeed

We also need to support our staff. This is about our leadership and management and the corporate services we provide.

Our objectives

• The work of the Department of Health centres around three strategic objectives.
• Better health and well-being for all: helping people stay healthy and well; empowering people to live independently; and tackling health inequalities.
• Better care for all: the best possible health and social care that offers safe and effective care, when and where people need it; and empowering people in their choices.
• Better value for all: delivering affordable, efficient and sustainable services; contributing to the wider economy and the nation.

Our values

To continue to be successful in achieving our objectives and fulfilling our role, we have worked with our staff to develop a set of values and behaviours. • We value people - We care about people and put their health and well-being at the heart of everything we do.

• We value purpose - We focus our actions and decisions on achieving our shared goals.
• We value working together - We work together as one department and with our partners and stakeholders.
• We value accountability - We take responsibility and are open to challenge.

UK-China Partners in Health Innovation

The UK-China Partners in Health Innovation (PiHI) programme was initiated by a Memorandum of Understanding on Health Co-operation (MoU) signed in June 2007. The programme is led on the UK side by the Department of Health of UK (DH) and on the Chinese side by the Ministry of Health of China (MoH).

The PiHI aims at four priority areas: public health emergency response systems; prevention and treatment of infectious disease; hospital management; and community health systems.

A PiHI Action Plan launched by PM Gordon Brown in January 2008 lists eight PiHI projects under the priority areas, each of them supported/sponsored by the nominated participant companies/organisations (Partners) from the two countries.

The MoU calls for an annual bilateral review at Vice-Minister/Minister of State level to review the programme work and consider new proposals. This may be held in Beijing in October (dates tbc).