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 extreme cost-cutting procedures.

The ‚bonfire of bureaucrats‘ is focused on eliminating duplication throughout the organisations after their labor forces swelled throughout the pandemic.

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

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

The most recent leaders to join the exodus are Julian Kelly, the primary monetary officer, Emily Lawson, the chief running officer, and Steve Russell, the chief delivery officer and national director for vaccination and screening.

NHS England is the national quango charged with managing the everyday running of the health service and its long-term strategy.

It was established by the Tories in 2013 to offer it greater political self-reliance however Mr Streeting is eager to regain tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England said in a declaration: ‚As part of the requirement to make finest possible use of taxpayers‘ cash to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be significantly decreased 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 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, amidst 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 delivery officer Steve Russell (left) and chief running officer Emily Lawson (best) are among the most current bosses to join the exodus

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

He said: ‚We know that today’s news is disturbing for our personnel, and we have substantial difficulties and modifications ahead.’We intend to have a transition team in place to begin on the first April 2025 to help 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 actually stated I think the time is ideal for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest support local NHS systems and service providers to provide for patients and drive the government’s reform concerns.‘

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 eliminate duplication‘.

Mr Streeting said: ‚I ‚d like to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their as public servants, and their operate in particular helping guide the NHS through the pandemic.

‚I’ve delighted in working with each of them over the last 8 months and I’ve been impressed by their ability and concentrate on delivering enhancement for patients and staff.

‚We are going into a duration of crucial improvement for our NHS. ‚With a stronger relationship in between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will work together with the speed and seriousness required to satisfy the scale of the challenge.‘

As of June in 2015, NHS England utilized just under 15,000 full-time equivalent personnel, consisting of irreversible, short-term 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 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 national medical director, revealed recently he would step down this summer season

UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: ‚Staff will be understandably concerned about this abrupt change of direction.

‚The variety of redundancies being sought at NHS England has 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 difficult prospect has actually now ended up being more like a problem.

‚Fixing a broken NHS needs an appropriate plan, with central bodies resourced and managed successfully so local services are supported.

‚Rushing through cuts brings a risk of producing a further, more complex mess and might 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 modifications are occurring at a scale and speed not prepared for to start with, however offered the big cost savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes sense to reduce areas of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‚NHS England has actually currently provided considerable cost savings and assisted to provide improvements in efficiency, however nationwide bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is required this year.

‚These changes represent the biggest improving of the NHS’s national architecture in more than a decade. It is essential that local NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this change as the instant next steps become clearer, so that an optimum operating model can be developed.

‚This need to be about doing things differently for the benefit of regional communities as both patients and taxpayers, in addition to for staff ahead of yearly survey results on Thursday that are yet once again expected to show the severe challenges they face.‘

Wes Streeting