It is charged with administration and delivery of public healthcare in New Brunswick.

It began to grow rapidly in the 1960s when Premier Louis Robichaud's equal opportunity program consolidated jurisdiction for health with the province as opposed to local governments and also with the introduction of public medicine in the same decade.

The department eventually came to be named the Department of Health and Community Services as it gained responsibility for new programs such as long-term care in nursing homes, local psychological services and so on.

On March 23, 2000 when Premier Bernard Lord restructured the New Brunswick Cabinet.

On February 14, 2006, it was again split with the Wellness promotion aspects being joined with the Culture and Sport Secretariat to form the new Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport.