Wes Streeting Cuts NHS HQ Staff Numbers In Half

Plans to cut staff numbers in half at NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care were revealed yesterday amid extreme cost-cutting steps.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is intended at getting rid of duplication across the organisations after their labor forces swelled throughout the pandemic.

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

Three more NHS England board members yesterday revealed they will give up at the end of this month, following the recent resignations of chief executive Amanda Pritchard and nationwide 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 operating officer, and Steve Russell, the chief delivery officer and nationwide director for vaccination and screening.

NHS England is the national quango entrusted with supervising the daily running of the health service and its long-lasting strategy.

It was established by the Tories in 2013 to give it higher political independence but Mr Streeting is keen to restore tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England said in a declaration: ‘As part of the need to make best possible use of taxpayers’ cash to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be radically minimized and might see the size of the centre decline by around half.’

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

Health secretary Wes Streeting is also seeking to tighten his control over the NHS, amidst strategies 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 delivery officer Steve Russell (left) and chief running officer Emily Lawson (ideal) are amongst the most current employers to join the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will become interim chief executive at the start of April, will establish 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 stated: ‘We understand that today’s news is upsetting for our personnel, and we have substantial difficulties and changes ahead.’We aim to have a transition team in location to begin on the 1st April 2025 to help lead us through this period.’

Ms Pritchard stated in a note to staff, seen by the Health Service Journal: ‘In the last couple of weeks, I have actually said I believe the time is best for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest assistance local NHS systems and suppliers to provide for clients and drive the government’s reform top priorities.’

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

Mr Streeting stated: ‘I want to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their commitment as public servants, and their work in particular assisting steer the NHS through the pandemic.

‘I’ve taken pleasure in dealing with each of them over the last eight months and I’ve been impressed by their skill and focus on delivering enhancement for clients and staff.

‘We are getting in a duration of crucial change for our NHS. ‘With a more powerful relationship in between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will collaborate with the speed and seriousness needed to meet the scale of the challenge.’

Since June last year, NHS England employed just under 15,000 full-time comparable staff, consisting of 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 actually likewise included his name to from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS nationwide medical director, revealed last week he would step down this summertime

UNISON head of health Helga Pile stated: ‘Staff will be not surprisingly worried about this abrupt change of direction.

‘The variety of redundancies being looked for at NHS England has actually trebled in simply a matter of weeks.

‘Em ployees there have actually currently been through the mill with unlimited rounds of reorganisation. What was currently a difficult prospect has now become more like a headache.

‘Fixing a broken NHS requires a correct strategy, with central bodies resourced and handled efficiently so regional services are supported.

‘Rushing through cuts brings a threat of producing an even more, more complex mess and might ultimately hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very individuals who need it most, the patients.’

Matthew Taylor, primary executive of the NHS Confederation, stated: ‘These changes are happening at a scale and rate not prepared for to start with, but offered the huge cost savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes good sense to minimize locations of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has actually currently delivered substantial savings and assisted to provide improvements in efficiency, but national bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is needed this year.

‘These modifications represent the biggest reshaping of the NHS’s national architecture in more than a decade. It is essential that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are involved in this change as the immediate next actions become clearer, so that a maximum operating design can be produced.

‘This must be about doing things differently for the advantage of regional communities as both patients and taxpayers, in addition to for personnel ahead of annual survey results on Thursday that are yet again expected to show the severe challenges they deal with.’

Wes Streeting