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 the other day in the middle of extreme cost-cutting procedures.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is focused on eliminating duplication across the organisations after their workforces swelled throughout the .

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

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

The newest leaders to join the exodus are Julian Kelly, the primary monetary 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 charged with supervising the everyday running of the health service and its long-term technique.

It was established by the Tories in 2013 to provide it higher political self-reliance however Mr Streeting is eager to restore tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England stated in a declaration: ‘As part of the need to make best possible use of taxpayers’ money to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be radically reduced and could 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 employees at NHS England over the previous 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, in the middle of plans to cut staff 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 chief running officer Emily Lawson (ideal) are amongst the current employers to sign up with the exodus

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

He said: ‘We understand that today’s news is upsetting for our staff, and we have considerable obstacles and changes ahead.’We aim to have a shift team in place to start on the 1st April 2025 to assist lead us through this duration.’

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 right for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to best support regional NHS systems and suppliers to deliver for clients and drive the government’s reform top priorities.’

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

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

‘I’ve delighted in working with each of them over the last eight months and I have actually been impressed by their ability and concentrate on providing improvement for clients and staff.

‘We are getting in a duration of vital transformation for our NHS. ‘With a stronger relationship between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will interact with the speed and seriousness required to satisfy the scale of the obstacle.’

Since June last year, NHS England employed simply under 15,000 full-time equivalent personnel, consisting of permanent, short-term and consultancy. The Department of Health and Social Care had around 9,000, consisting of the UK Health Security Agency. These are both around 30 per cent more than in January 2020.

NHS England primary financial officer Julian Kelly has actually likewise added his name to leaders resigning from their positions

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

UNISON head of health Helga Pile stated: ‘Staff will be understandably concerned about this abrupt change of instructions.

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

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

‘Fixing a damaged NHS requires an appropriate plan, with central bodies resourced and handled efficiently so local services are supported.

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

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These modifications are happening at a scale and rate not prepared for to start with, however provided the substantial cost savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes sense to reduce locations of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has actually already delivered significant savings and helped to deliver improvements in performance, however national bodies and local NHS leaders know that more is required this year.

‘These modifications represent the most significant improving of the NHS’s national architecture in more than a years. It is important that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are involved in this change as the immediate next actions become clearer, so that an optimum operating design can be created.

‘This should have to do with doing things in a different way for the benefit of regional communities as both clients and taxpayers, along with for staff ahead of annual study results on Thursday that are yet once again anticipated to reveal the severe difficulties they deal with.’

Wes Streeting