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 yesterday amidst drastic cost-cutting measures.

The 'bonfire of bureaucrats' is aimed at getting rid of duplication throughout the organisations after their workforces swelled during the pandemic.

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

Three more NHS England board members the other day announced they will give up 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 chief financial officer, Emily Lawson, the chief running officer, and Steve Russell, the chief shipment officer and nationwide director for vaccination and screening.

NHS England is the nationwide quango entrusted with overseeing the everyday running of the health service and its long-lasting method.

It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to provide it greater political self-reliance but Mr Streeting is eager to gain back tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England said in a statement: 'As part of the requirement to make finest possible usage of taxpayers' money to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be drastically minimized and could see the size of the centre decrease by around half.'

The deeper staffing cuts follow a reduction of about 4,000 to 6,000 workers at NHS England over the past two years and about 800 at the Department of Health and Social Care.

Health secretary Wes Streeting is also seeking to tighten his 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 shipment officer Steve Russell (left) and chief operating officer Emily Lawson (best) are among the newest managers to join the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim chief 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 know that today's news is unsettling for our personnel, and we have substantial difficulties and changes ahead.'We aim to have a transition group in location to start on the first April 2025 to help lead us through this duration.'

Ms Pritchard said in a note to personnel, seen by the Health Service Journal: 'In the last couple of weeks, I have actually said I think the time is best for radical reform of the size and functions of the centre to best assistance regional NHS systems and providers to provide for patients and drive the federal government's reform top priorities.'

She said Mr Streeting had actually asked Sir Jim and Penny Dash, the incoming NHS England chair, to 'lead this work, providing substantial modifications in our relationship with DHSC to eradicate duplication'.

Mr Streeting stated: 'I 'd like 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 delivering improvement for patients and staff.

'We are going into a duration of vital change for our NHS. 'With a more powerful 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 obstacle.'

As of June in 2015, NHS England employed simply under 15,000 full-time equivalent personnel, including long-term, temporary 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 likewise included his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS nationwide medical director, revealed last week he would step down this summertime

UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: 'Staff will be not surprisingly concerned about this abrupt change of direction.

'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 unlimited rounds of reorganisation. What was already a demanding prospect has now ended up being more like a problem.

'Fixing a broken NHS requires a correct plan, with central bodies resourced and handled successfully so local services are supported.

'Rushing through cuts brings a risk of producing a further, more complex mess and could ultimately hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very individuals who need it most, the clients.'

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, stated: 'These changes are occurring at a scale and rate not anticipated to start with, but given the big savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes good sense to lower areas of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

'NHS England has currently provided substantial cost savings and helped to provide enhancements in productivity, but national bodies and local NHS leaders know that more is needed this year.

'These modifications represent the biggest improving of the NHS's national architecture in more than a decade. It is essential that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are included in this improvement as the instant next steps become clearer, so that an optimum operating model can be developed.

'This should be about doing things in a different way for the benefit of local neighborhoods as both clients and taxpayers, in addition to for personnel ahead of annual study results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to show the extreme difficulties they face.'

Wes Streeting