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 amidst extreme cost-cutting steps.

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

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

Three more NHS England board members the other day announced 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 most current leaders to join the exodus are Julian Kelly, the primary financial officer, Emily Lawson, the chief operating officer, and Steve Russell, the chief shipment officer and national 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 give it higher political independence however Mr Streeting is keen to regain tighter control from within his Department.

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

The much deeper staffing a reduction 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 also looking for to tighten his control over the NHS, amid 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 most recent bosses to sign up with the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim primary executive at the start of April, will establish a shift 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 staff, and we have considerable obstacles and changes ahead.’We intend to have a shift team in location to start 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 stated I believe the time is best for radical reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest assistance local NHS systems and providers to deliver for clients and drive the federal government’s reform priorities.’

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

Mr Streeting said: ‘I wish to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their commitment as public servants, and their work in specific helping steer 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 concentrate on delivering improvement for clients and personnel.

‘We are getting in a duration of critical improvement 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 urgency required to satisfy the scale of the difficulty.’

Since June in 2015, NHS England employed simply under 15,000 full-time comparable staff, including permanent, momentary 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 percent 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 recently he would step down this summer season

UNISON head of health Helga Pile stated: ‘Staff will be understandably concerned about this sudden modification 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 already been through the mill with limitless rounds of reorganisation. What was already a difficult prospect has now become more like a problem.

‘Fixing a damaged NHS requires a correct plan, with central bodies resourced and managed successfully so local services are supported.

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

Matthew Taylor, primary executive of the NHS Confederation, stated: ‘These modifications are occurring at a scale and rate not expected to begin with, but offered the big cost savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes good sense to decrease areas of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has actually already delivered substantial savings and assisted to deliver enhancements in performance, but nationwide bodies and regional NHS leaders understand that more is needed this year.

‘These modifications represent the most significant reshaping of the NHS’s nationwide architecture in more than a decade. It is very important that local NHS organisations and other bodies are involved in this improvement as the instant next steps become clearer, so that an optimal operating design can be developed.

‘This need to have to do with doing things in a different way for the benefit of local communities as both patients and taxpayers, along with for personnel ahead of annual survey results on Thursday that are yet once again anticipated to reveal the severe challenges they deal with.’

Wes Streeting