Margaret Thatcher named him to set direction for the National Health Service (NHS) as Secretary for the Department of Health. After he took office on June 13, 1987 the Labour Party attacked him as Mr. Privitisation for attempting to bring market forces into the service, and accused him of trying to abolish the NHS. The Tories joined the fray, accusing him of having no original ideas. His efforts in this area were largely ineffective. Then an illness caused him to lose his voice. He even fainted once in a Cabinet meeting. By July 25, 1988, Kenneth Clarke replaced him and he fell into obscurity. He became Baron Moore of Lower Marsh in 1992.