Chief Medical Officers (United Kingdom) facts for kids

A Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is a very important government advisor in the United Kingdom. They give expert advice on everything to do with health. Think of them as the top doctor for the government!

There are actually four Chief Medical Officers in the UK. Each one advises a different government:

• The UK Government (this CMO advises for England and the whole UK)
• Scottish Government
• Welsh Government
• Northern Ireland Executive

Each CMO has help from other doctors called deputy chief medical officers. They also work closely with a Chief Nursing Officer, who is the top nurse advisor.

A Chief Medical Officer is always a qualified medical doctor. Traditionally, they specialized in public health medicine. This means they focused on keeping whole communities healthy, not just individual people. More recently, some CMOs have been senior doctors from other fields. In the UK, the CMO is one of several top professional advisors who help the government with health and social care. The CMO has a special power, which started way back in the 1800s: they can publish reports without needing the government's permission first. This helps them share important health information freely.

Chief Medical Officers for England

Further information: National Health Service (England)

The role of Chief Medical Officer for England started a long time ago, during Victorian times. It was created to help stop serious diseases like cholera from spreading. Before 1969, the Chief Medical Officer for England also covered Wales. Then, a separate CMO for Wales was created.

Here are some of the people who have held this important job:

• Sir John Simon (1855–1876)
• Edward Cator Seaton (1876–1879)
• Sir George Buchanan (1879–1892)
• Sir Richard Thorne Thorne (1892–1899)
• Sir William Henry Power (1900–1908)
• Sir Arthur Newsholme (1908–1919)
• Sir George Newman (1919–1935)
• Sir Arthur MacNalty (1935–1940)
• Sir Wilson Jameson (1940–1950)
• Sir John Charles (1950–1960)
• Sir George Godber (1960–1973)
• Sir Henry Yellowlees (1973–1984)
• Sir Donald Acheson (1984–1991)
• Sir Kenneth Calman (1991–1998)
• Sir Liam Donaldson (1998–May 2010)
• Dame Sally Davies (June 2010–September 2019)
• Sir Chris Whitty (October 2019–present)

Deputy Chief Medical Officers for England

The Chief Medical Officer gets a lot of help from their deputies. These are some of the people who have served as Deputy Chief Medical Officers for England:

• John Reid (1972 to 1977)
• Liz Shore (1977 to 1985)
• Michael Abrams (1985 to 1992)
• David Walker (2013 to 2015)
• John Watson (2013 to 2017)
• Gina Radford (2015 to 2019)
• Jenny Harries (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 (September 2021 – present)
• Thomas Waite (April 2022 – present)

Chief Medical Officers for Scotland

Further information: NHS Scotland

The role of CMO for Scotland has been part of different government health departments over the years. Today, they advise the Scottish Government.

Here are some of the Chief Medical Officers for Scotland:

• 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 (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 (1991–1996)
• Sir David Carter (1996–2000)
• Ernest Macalpine ("Mac") Armstrong (2000–2005)
• Sir Harry Burns (2005–2014)
• Aileen Keel (2014–2015; acting)
• Catherine Calderwood (2015–2020)
• Sir Gregor Smith (2020–present; acting until 23 December 2020, then permanent)

Chief Medical Officers for Wales

Further information: NHS Wales

The Chief Medical Officer role for Wales was created in 1969. Before that, one CMO covered both England and Wales.

Here are the Chief Medical Officers for 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 (2012–2016)
• Chris Jones (March–July 2016; acting)
• Sir Frank Atherton (August 2016 – present)

Chief Medical Officers for Northern Ireland

Further information: Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland

Here are some of the 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)