They say there are few certainties in life besides death and taxes. However, it seems we can add to that list that Patricia Hewitt will no longer be health secretary following Gordon Brown's coronation as prime minister at the end of this month. The Conservatives are calling for her head, and took great delight when Tony Blair refused to recommend her to continue in her job to Brown during prime minister's questions last week.
Political commentators willing to predict Hewitt retaining her post are nowhere to be seen.
The question is, does this matter for social care?
I am not convinced that it does. Hewitt's appointment in May 2005 was welcomed by the sector as an improvement on predecessor John Reid due to her background in the voluntary sector and liberal political outlook.
While the appointment of David Behan as director general for social care last year was a welcome move, she failed to get to grips with the funding crisis in adult social care, which has got worse under Hewitt's watch.
This was most evident when Hewitt called on the NHS to get its financial house in order without considering the impact on adult social care. The resulting cost-shunting has made a bad situation worse.
Gordon Brown and the new health secretary need to make an early statement of their commitment to tackling the short-term adult social care funding crisis, and develop a sound, long-term solution to many demographic pressures affecting the sector. Most of all, they need to finally put adult social care on an equal footing with the NHS within the department. Renaming it as the Department of Health and Social Care wouldn't be a bad start.