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 extreme cost-cutting measures.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is focused on eliminating 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 better value 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 latest leaders to join the exodus are Julian Kelly, the primary monetary officer, Emily Lawson, the chief operating officer, and Steve Russell, the chief shipment officer and nationwide director for vaccination and screening.

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

It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to offer it higher political independence however Mr Streeting is keen to restore tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England said in a statement: ‘As part of the requirement to make best possible use of taxpayers’ cash 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 cuts follow a reduction of about 4,000 to 6,000 staff members 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 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 operating officer Emily Lawson (ideal) are among the newest managers to join the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim president at the start of April, will set up a transition team within NHS England to ‘lead the radical 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 difficulties and changes ahead.’We intend to have a shift group in place to begin on the 1st April 2025 to help 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 stated I think the time is right for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest assistance regional NHS systems and providers to deliver for patients and drive the federal government’s reform concerns.’

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

Mr Streeting stated: ‘I wish to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their devotion as public servants, and their operate in particular assisting guide 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 providing enhancement for patients and staff.

‘We are entering a duration of important change for our NHS. ‘With a stronger relationship between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will work together with the speed and seriousness required to fulfill the scale of the challenge.’

As of June last year, NHS England utilized just under 15,000 full-time comparable personnel, including permanent, 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 percent more than in January 2020.

NHS England chief financial officer Julian Kelly has actually also 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 summer season

UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: ‘Staff will be not surprisingly worried about this unexpected modification 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 unlimited rounds of reorganisation. What was already a stressful possibility has now ended up being more like a headache.

‘Fixing a damaged NHS requires a proper strategy, with main bodies resourced and managed successfully so regional services are supported.

‘Rushing through cuts brings a danger of creating a further, more complicated mess and might eventually hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very people who require it most, the patients.’

Matthew Taylor, primary executive of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These changes are taking place at a scale and pace not anticipated to start with, but offered the huge savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes sense to minimize locations of at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

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

‘These modifications represent the most significant reshaping of the NHS’s national architecture in more than a decade. It is necessary that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this transformation as the immediate next actions end up being clearer, so that a maximum operating model can be created.

‘This should be about doing things differently for the advantage of regional communities as both patients and taxpayers, in addition to for personnel ahead of yearly survey results on Thursday that are yet once again anticipated to reveal the extreme difficulties they face.’

Wes Streeting