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 in the middle of extreme cost-cutting steps.

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

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

Three more NHS England board members the other day announced they will stop at the end of this month, following the recent resignations of president Amanda Pritchard and national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis.

The most recent leaders to join the exodus are Julian Kelly, the chief 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 nationwide quango entrusted with supervising the day to day running of the health service and its long-lasting technique.

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

NHS England stated 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 lowered and could see the size of the centre reduction 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 operating officer Emily Lawson (ideal) are amongst the most recent managers to join the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim primary executive at the start of April, will set up a transition group within NHS England to ‘lead the extreme 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 considerable obstacles and modifications ahead.’We aim to have a in location to begin on the 1st April 2025 to help lead us through this duration.’

Ms Pritchard stated in a note to staff, seen by the Health Service Journal: ‘In the last number of weeks, I have actually stated I think the time is best for radical reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest support regional NHS systems and providers to provide for patients and drive the federal government’s reform priorities.’

She stated Mr Streeting had asked Sir Jim and Penny Dash, the incoming NHS England chair, to ‘lead this work, providing substantial changes in our relationship with DHSC to get rid of 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 guide 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 providing enhancement for patients and staff.

‘We are going into a duration of important improvement 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 seriousness needed to meet the scale of the difficulty.’

Since June last year, NHS England utilized simply under 15,000 full-time comparable staff, consisting of permanent, momentary 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 chief monetary officer Julian Kelly has also included his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS national medical director, revealed recently he would step down this summertime

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

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

‘Em ployees there have actually already been through the mill with unlimited rounds of reorganisation. What was already a demanding possibility has now become more like a nightmare.

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

‘Rushing through cuts brings a threat of producing a further, more complex mess and might eventually hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very people who need it most, the clients.’

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, stated: ‘These changes are happening at a scale and pace not anticipated to begin with, but given the big savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes sense to lower areas of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has actually currently provided substantial savings and assisted to provide enhancements in productivity, but nationwide bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is needed this year.

‘These changes represent the most significant improving of the NHS’s nationwide architecture in more than a decade. It is necessary that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this improvement as the immediate next actions end up being clearer, so that an optimal operating design can be produced.

‘This must be about doing things in a different way for the benefit of local communities as both patients and taxpayers, along with for personnel ahead of annual survey results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to reveal the extreme difficulties they deal with.’

Wes Streeting