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 revealed yesterday amidst drastic cost-cutting measures.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is intended at removing 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, provide much better worth for taxpayers and free-up cash for the frontline.

Three more NHS England board members the other day revealed they will stop at the end of this month, following the recent resignations of chief executive Amanda Pritchard and national 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 operating officer, and Steve Russell, the chief shipment officer and national director for vaccination and screening.

NHS England is the national quango charged with overseeing the day to day running of the health service and its long-lasting strategy.

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

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

The deeper staffing cuts follow a reduction of about 4,000 to 6,000 workers at NHS England over the previous two 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 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 operating officer Emily Lawson (best) are amongst the newest managers to join the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will become interim president at the start of April, will set up a transition group within NHS England to ‘lead the radical 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 substantial difficulties and modifications ahead.’We aim to have a transition team in place 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 ideal for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to best assistance regional NHS systems and providers to deliver for clients and drive the government’s reform concerns.’

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

Mr Streeting stated: ‘I want to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their commitment as public servants, and their operate in particular helping guide the NHS through the pandemic.

‘I’ve enjoyed dealing 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 of crucial 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 required to meet the scale of the challenge.’

As of June last year, NHS England used just under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, including irreversible, 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 monetary officer Julian Kelly has actually likewise added his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS nationwide medical director, announced recently he would step down this summertime

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

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

‘Em ployees there have already been through the mill with limitless rounds of reorganisation. What was already a stressful prospect has actually now ended up being more like a headache.

‘Fixing a damaged NHS requires a proper plan, with central bodies resourced and managed effectively so regional services are supported.

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

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These modifications are happening at a scale and speed not prepared for to start with, but offered the substantial cost savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes good sense to decrease locations of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has currently provided considerable cost savings and assisted to provide enhancements in efficiency, 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 nationwide architecture in more than a years. It is necessary that local NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this transformation as the immediate next steps become clearer, so that an optimal operating design can be developed.

‘This should have to do with doing things differently for the advantage of local neighborhoods as both clients and taxpayers, as well as for staff ahead of annual survey results on Thursday that are yet once again expected to show the severe obstacles they deal with.’

Wes Streeting