Sajid Javid returns to the Cabinet to guide Britain out of the pandemic | Sajid Javid

Sajid Javid may have served in the two most tested state offices as the chancellor of the exchequer and the secretary of the interior. But on Saturday, he walked into what is now arguably the biggest and most challenging place: The work of the Minister of Health.

Javid must not only lead the country out of the final stages of the pandemic, ensure that we reach Boris Johnson Known as the “irreversible path to freedom”.

But assuming we reach that destination, he has to take on a more difficult task: catch up with the backlog of massive delays and modify the service so that it can deal with any future epidemics more effectively than it does.

Then there will be a huge challenge of social care, cruel and terrible Exposed as inappropriate Not only for the pandemic, but also for the 21st century. Coupled with the expected mental health crisis after the pandemic, his tray will be overflowing.

In a sense, Javid will find his new job easier than his last job. After a power struggle with Johnson over the role of Dominique Cummings in the government, his short term as prime minister ended. Now Cummings is gone and will not come back. The stimulus is gone.

But from now on, every battle that Javid fights will have another familiar problem: money. How to fund modernized medical services from the national treasury funds that have been exhausted by the pandemic. How to modernize social care without creating another loophole in public finances, imposing taxes or cutting pensions. The Conservative Party and its members of Congress will be extremely unpopular.

Hancock may have his enemies, Cummings is one of the best. Johnson may think that Hancock made a big mistake in failing to protect the nursing home and its residents during the pandemic, but the former health minister has been working before anyone heard of Covid-19. He knows the pandemic goes backwards, all failures, disasters, and successes. This can be clearly seen in the evidence he recently provided to the Health and Science Committee, when he answered Cummings’ allegations that he was a stupid incompetent.

Javid has no such knowledge. He started with the Go game on the Pandemic Monopoly card and had to swiftly cross the street. Then it must be a plan for the future NHS.Hancock will introduce a bill on NHS reforms this week, which could have been Lansley Reform, To concentrate more power back into the hands of the Secretary of State. Before adopting these plans, Javid must first see if he likes them. Delay is possible. Regardless of the social care plans being brewed just starting, Javid must also re-examine them. Everything will go back to the drawing board.

No wonder the health department felt anxious and at the same time relieved Hancock’s departure. After weeks of negative reports, mainly from Cummings, his authority was finally broken.

Dr. Catherine Henderson, Dean of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said she was “very grateful” Hancock for supporting the review of how hospitals measure the performance of the emergency department to ensure that the emergency room does not lack resources.

“I hope his successor will understand the connection between elective care and unplanned care,” she said. “Without the other, we cannot have one successfully working.”

Javid will step into his new department, and the road ahead will be difficult. All that will be empty will be the chairman of the secretary of state.

Vic Rayner, Chief Executive Officer of the National Nursing Forum, said: “The social care sector needs Sajid Javid Urgently advance the reform agenda. There can be no further delay in this regard. Crucially, his ambition for social care goes beyond the scope of quick resolution. He will ensure an ambitious long-term future and is supported by a clear investment agenda to ensure a society that all of us want and need. Caring can change life now and in the future. “

Shadow Health Minister Jonathan Ashworth said he will face financial challenges partly caused by himself: “During his short term as prime minister, Javid failed to reverse the loss suffered by the Conservative Party from cutting medical services. “He says. “With the waiting list soaring, cancer treatment delays, and young people having difficulty accessing mental health services, his challenge will be to reduce the waiting list, recruit and raise the staff that the NHS needs-and solve the recurring social health problems. Suffer. Severe and devastating cuts.”