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 unveiled yesterday amid drastic cost-cutting measures.

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

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

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

The current leaders to sign up with the exodus are Julian Kelly, the primary monetary officer, Emily Lawson, the chief running 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-term strategy.

It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to give it greater political independence however Mr Streeting is keen to regain tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England stated in a declaration: ‘As part of the need to make finest possible use of taxpayers’ cash to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be significantly lowered and might see the size of the centre decrease by around half.’

The much deeper staffing cuts follow a reduction of about 4,000 to 6,000 workers 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 seeking 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 running officer Emily Lawson (ideal) are among the most recent bosses to join the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim primary executive at the start of April, will establish a shift team within NHS England to ‘lead the extreme reduction and improving of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care’.

He stated: ‘We know that today’s news is upsetting for our personnel, and we have considerable obstacles and changes ahead.’We intend to have a transition team in location to begin on the 1st 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 actually said I believe the time is right for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest assistance local NHS systems and providers to provide for clients and drive the government’s reform priorities.’

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

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

‘I have actually enjoyed dealing with each of them over the last eight months and I have actually been impressed by their skill and focus on delivering enhancement for patients and staff.

‘We are getting in a duration of important change 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 required to satisfy the scale of the obstacle.’

Since June last year, NHS England used simply under 15,000 full-time comparable personnel, consisting of irreversible, short-term 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 primary monetary officer Julian Kelly has actually also 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 summer season

UNISON head of health Helga Pile stated: ‘Staff will be not surprisingly concerned about this sudden change of instructions.

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

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

‘Fixing a broken NHS needs a proper strategy, with resourced and managed effectively so regional services are supported.

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

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, stated: ‘These changes are occurring at a scale and rate not prepared for to start with, but offered the big savings that the NHS requires 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 currently provided significant savings and assisted to provide enhancements in efficiency, however nationwide bodies and local NHS leaders know that more is needed this year.

‘These changes represent the biggest improving of the NHS’s nationwide architecture in more than a years. It is very important that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this transformation as the instant next actions end up being clearer, so that an optimal operating model can be produced.

‘This should have to do with doing things in a different way for the advantage of local neighborhoods as both patients and taxpayers, as well as for staff ahead of yearly survey results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to reveal the extreme obstacles they face.’

Wes Streeting