Year in the Herald's inaugural Scottish Politician of the Year Awards, and was nominated alongside Donald Dewar and Alex Salmond for that year's Scottish Politician of the Year accolade. Henry McLeish reappointed Deacon as Health Minister when he took over as First Minister following the death of Donald Dewar in November 2000 and she continued until McLeish’s resignation in November 2001. Deacon was offered a further Cabinet position by incoming First Minister Jack McConnell in November 2001 but, by then pregnant with her second child, decided instead to leave Government and go to the backbenches. During her time as Health Minister, Deacon led major changes in the governance and leadership of the National Health Service in Scotland and championed reforms in child health, mental health and older people's care. She was responsible for the first Scottish Health Plan. A critic of the flagship policy of free personal care, she argued against its introduction saying future costs were unknown and may not be sustainable – a view rejected by the Scottish Parliament. She won plaudits for her strong stance against militant anti-abortion campaigners, though was criticised by the Roman Catholic Church for her position on issues such as teenage pregnancy and contraception. As a backbench MSP, Deacon was regarded as a thoughtful and independent voice, served on several Parliamentary Committees, including Enterprise and Audit. She co-founded and chaired the Cross Party Group on Sexual Health and was involved in work on reproductive health and HIV/Aids both in the UK and abroad. The only Scottish member of the RSA UK Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy, Deacon was a critic of Government drugs policy. Her opposition to the Iraq War won her support among Labour Party members and the Scottish public, but left relationships strained with parliamentary colleagues. Deacon was re-elected as an MSP in 2003, securing the largest Labour majority in Edinburgh, and had been selected to fight her Edinburgh East and Musselburgh seat again in the 2007 election but in August 2006, she announced her decision to stand down from the Scottish Parliament. Deacon said she had had enough of the ‘raw tribalism of party politics’ and that she wanted to 'move on to seek new challenges and to channel my energies in other ways.' Career after Parliament Deacon stood down from the Scottish Parliament in 2007, later leaving the Labour Party, while continuing to be engaged in