It’s a big leap from opposition party critic of government policy to cabinet minister.

But Health and Social Care Minister Kate Beecroft seems to be taking it in her stride.

She said: I’ve always taken an interest in the health service and I’m enjoying my new role.’

LibVan leader Mrs Beecroft said the position, financial and otherwise, at the Department of Health and Social was as she expected when she joined as Minister.

’I’ve not had any real shocks,’ she said.

That’s not to say she isn’t facing a huge challenge, however.

Her department received an extra £11m funding in the Budget - but that’s only half what it needs to deal with ever-growing cost pressures.

Mrs Beecroft said: ’I’ve got to find £10m to £11m of savings but I want to improve services as well. It’s a double whammy.

’But I believe it is do-able. Everybody is committed to giving it our best shot.’

One of the key pressures which had led to overspends at the DHSC for the last two years running has been the spiralling cost of treating patients across.

The Minister said: ’For some of the patients treated across we are looking to see if it’s essential - whether more can be done by telemedicine or whether more services can be done here.

’But we are generally looking at all areas. We are looking at where to make efficiencies without affecting the services people are given.’

Waiting lists are another cause for concern. ’Some of them are unacceptable,’ said Mrs Beecroft.

Recent figures show that a quarter of all medical in-patients are having to wait more than year for admission to Noble’s Hospital.

The Minister said dermatology was one speciality where the waiting list remained too high and the department was looking at different ways of dealing with this. But she added that ’all are being look at’.

She said: ’We have to look at this quickly: partly from the patient’s point of view - it’s not good for them to be waiting all this time.

’But in some cases if people are off work waiting for treatment it costs the whole economy, for example in terms of the benefits that are being paid to them.

’It makes sense to treat people as quickly as we can.’

Mrs Beecroft said this was an example of the government trying not to work in ’silos’.

The Minister said the department was still looking to pursue an integrated model of healthcare - a model copied from New Zealand where her predecessor and now Chief Minister Howard Quayle visited on a fact-finding trip in 2015.

He was accompanied on that trip by the DHSC chief executive Mark Charters, who lasted less than a year in post.

Mrs Beecroft said the management team at the hospital ’certainly seems to be more open and receptive’.

She said she had met with consultants the previous week and this was something she wanted to do on a regular basis.

’I’m no medical expert,’ she admitted, before adding: ’But there seems to be a feeling that the stroke services which was top on my list was the right thing to be focused on.’