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 amidst drastic cost-cutting measures.

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

Health secretary Wes Streeting is likewise 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 revealed they will stop 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 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 charged with supervising the daily running of the health service and its long-term strategy.

It was established by the Tories in 2013 to provide 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 usage of taxpayers’ cash to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be significantly lowered and might see the size of the centre decline by around half.’

The 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 also seeking to tighten his control over the NHS, in the middle of 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 primary running officer Emily Lawson (best) are among the most recent employers to join the exodus

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

He said: ‘We understand that today’s news is unsettling for our staff, and we have considerable difficulties and modifications ahead.’We intend to have a shift team in place to begin on the 1st April 2025 to assist lead us through this period.’

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

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

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

‘I have actually delighted in working with each of them over the last 8 months and I’ve been impressed by their skill and focus on delivering enhancement for patients and staff.

‘We are getting in a period of vital 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 urgency required to meet the scale of the obstacle.’

As of June last year, NHS England employed just under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, including long-term, 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 actually also added his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS nationwide medical director, announced last week he would step down this summer season

UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: ‘Staff will be not surprisingly concerned about this abrupt 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 currently been through the mill with endless rounds of reorganisation. What was currently a stressful possibility has actually now ended up being more like a problem.

‘Fixing a needs an appropriate plan, with main bodies resourced and managed efficiently so regional services are supported.

‘Rushing through cuts brings a danger of developing an even more, more complicated mess and could ultimately hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very individuals who require it most, the clients.’

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, stated: ‘These changes are occurring at a scale and pace not prepared for to begin with, but offered the big savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes good sense to reduce areas of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has actually currently provided considerable savings and assisted to provide enhancements in performance, however national bodies and regional NHS leaders understand that more is required this year.

‘These changes represent the greatest reshaping of the NHS’s national architecture in more than a decade. It is necessary that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are included in this improvement as the instant next steps end up being clearer, so that an optimal operating model can be produced.

‘This should be about doing things differently for the advantage of local communities as both clients and taxpayers, as well as for staff ahead of annual study results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to reveal the severe obstacles they deal with.’

Wes Streeting