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Wes Streeting Cuts NHS HQ Staff Numbers In Half

Plans to cut personnel numbers in half at NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care were unveiled yesterday amid drastic cost-cutting measures.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is targeted at eliminating duplication across the organisations after their workforces swelled during the pandemic.

Health secretary Wes Streeting is also seeking to tighten his control over the NHS, provide better value for taxpayers and free-up cash for the frontline.

Three more NHS England board members yesterday announced they will stop at the end of this month, following the recent resignations of primary executive Amanda Pritchard and national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis.

The most recent leaders to join the exodus are Julian Kelly, the primary financial officer, Emily Lawson, the chief running officer, and Steve Russell, the chief shipment officer and nationwide director for vaccination and screening.

NHS England is the national quango entrusted with managing the everyday running of the health service and its long-term strategy.

It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to offer it higher political self-reliance but Mr Streeting is keen to regain tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England said in a statement: ‘As part of the requirement to make finest possible use of taxpayers’ money to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be significantly reduced and could see the size of the centre reduction by around half.’

The deeper staffing cuts follow a reduction of about 4,000 to 6,000 workers at NHS England over the previous two years and about 800 at the Department of Health and Social Care.

Health secretary Wes Streeting is likewise looking for to tighten his control over the NHS, amidst plans to cut personnel numbers in half at NHS England and the Department of Health

Former NHS England chief Amanda Pritchard will step down from her position at the end of this month

NHS England chief shipment officer Steve Russell (left) and primary operating officer Emily Lawson (ideal) are amongst the most current bosses to join the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will become interim chief executive at the start of April, will set up a transition group within NHS England to ‘lead the extreme reduction and improving of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care’.

He said: ‘We know that today’s news is unsettling for our personnel, and we have substantial challenges and changes ahead.’We intend to have a transition team in place to begin on the 1st April 2025 to help lead us through this duration.’

Ms Pritchard stated in a note to staff, seen by the Health Service Journal: ‘In the last number of weeks, I have actually stated I believe the time is best for radical reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest support local NHS systems and companies to provide for patients and drive the government’s reform priorities.’

She stated Mr Streeting had actually asked Sir Jim and Penny Dash, the incoming NHS England chair, to ‘lead this work, providing considerable changes in our relationship with DHSC to remove duplication’.

Mr Streeting said: ‘I ‘d like to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their dedication as public servants, and their operate in particular helping guide the NHS through the pandemic.

‘I’ve delighted in dealing with each of them over the last eight months and I have actually been impressed by their skill and focus on delivering improvement for patients and personnel.

‘We are entering a period of vital improvement for our NHS. ‘With a more powerful relationship between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will interact with the speed and urgency needed to satisfy the scale of the obstacle.’

As of June in 2015, NHS England used just under 15,000 full-time comparable staff, including permanent, temporary and consultancy. The Department of Health and Social Care had around 9,000, including the UK Health Security Agency. These are both around 30 per cent more than in January 2020.

NHS England chief financial officer Julian Kelly has also included his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS national medical director, announced last week he would step down this summer season

UNISON head of health Helga Pile stated: ‘Staff will be understandably concerned about this unexpected modification of .

‘The number of redundancies being sought at NHS England has trebled in simply a matter of weeks.

‘Em ployees there have already been through the mill with unlimited rounds of reorganisation. What was already a demanding prospect has actually now ended up being more like a problem.

‘Fixing a damaged NHS requires a proper plan, with central bodies resourced and managed efficiently so regional services are supported.

‘Rushing through cuts brings a danger of creating a further, more complex mess and might ultimately hold the NHS back. That would let down the very individuals who need it most, the clients.’

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, stated: ‘These changes are happening at a scale and rate not expected to begin with, however given the big cost savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes sense to reduce areas of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has currently provided significant cost savings and helped to deliver enhancements in efficiency, but nationwide bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is needed this year.

‘These modifications represent the greatest reshaping of the NHS’s nationwide architecture in more than a years. It is essential that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this transformation as the instant next actions become clearer, so that an optimal operating design can be produced.

‘This need to be about doing things differently for the benefit of regional communities as both clients and taxpayers, as well as for staff ahead of yearly study results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to show the extreme obstacles they face.’

Wes Streeting