Wes Streeting Cuts NHS HQ Staff Numbers In Half

Plans to numbers in half at NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care were revealed the other day in the middle of drastic cost-cutting procedures.

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

Health secretary Wes Streeting is also looking for to tighten his control over the NHS, deliver 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 sign up with 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 charged with overseeing the everyday running of the health service and its long-term method.

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

NHS England said in a declaration: ‘As part of the requirement to make best possible use of taxpayers’ cash to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be significantly minimized and might see the size of the centre reduction 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 past 2 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 delivery officer Steve Russell (left) and chief operating officer Emily Lawson (best) are among the current managers to join the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim chief executive at the start of April, will establish a transition group within NHS England to ‘lead the radical decrease and reshaping 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 significant difficulties and changes ahead.’We aim to have a transition team in location to start on the first April 2025 to assist lead us through this period.’

Ms Pritchard said in a note to staff, seen by the Health Service Journal: ‘In the last number of weeks, I have stated I believe the time is ideal for radical reform of the size and functions of the centre to best assistance regional NHS systems and providers to provide for patients and drive the federal government’s reform concerns.’

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

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

‘I’ve delighted in working with each of them over the last 8 months and I’ve been impressed by their skill and focus on delivering improvement for clients and personnel.

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

As of June last year, NHS England utilized just under 15,000 full-time comparable personnel, including permanent, short-lived and consultancy. The Department of Health and Social Care had around 9,000, including the UK Health Security Agency. These are both around 30 percent more than in January 2020.

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

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

UNISON head of health Helga Pile stated: ‘Staff will be naturally worried about this abrupt modification of direction.

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

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

‘Fixing a broken NHS needs a correct plan, with main bodies resourced and handled successfully so local services are supported.

‘Rushing through cuts brings a risk of creating an even more, more complex mess and could ultimately hold the NHS back. That would let down the very individuals who need it most, the patients.’

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, stated: ‘These changes are taking place at a scale and pace not anticipated to begin with, but given the substantial cost savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes sense to lower locations of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has already delivered substantial cost savings and helped to provide improvements in performance, but national bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is required this year.

‘These changes represent the most significant improving of the NHS’s national architecture in more than a years. It is necessary that local NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this improvement as the instant next steps end up being clearer, so that an optimal operating design can be produced.

‘This should have to do with doing things in a different way for the benefit of local communities as both clients and taxpayers, along with for personnel ahead of annual survey results on Thursday that are yet again expected to show the severe obstacles they face.’

Wes Streeting