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 in the middle of drastic cost-cutting steps.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is intended at removing duplication across the organisations after their workforces swelled during the pandemic.

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

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

The most current leaders to join the exodus are Julian Kelly, the primary financial 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 nationwide quango entrusted with managing the daily running of the health service and its long-lasting strategy.

It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to offer it greater political independence but Mr Streeting is keen to gain back 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 decrease by around half.’

The deeper staffing cuts follow a decrease of about 4,000 to 6,000 staff members at NHS England over the previous 2 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 strategies 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 delivery officer Steve Russell (left) and chief operating officer Emily Lawson (right) are amongst the latest managers to sign up with the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will become interim chief executive at the start of April, will establish a transition group within NHS England to ‘lead the radical reduction and reshaping of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care’.

He stated: ‘We understand that today’s news is disturbing for our staff, and we have considerable difficulties and modifications ahead.’We aim to have a shift team in location to begin on the first April 2025 to assist lead us through this duration.’

Ms Pritchard stated in a note to personnel, seen by the Health Service Journal: ‘In the last number of weeks, I have actually said I believe the time is ideal for radical reform of the size and functions of the centre to best assistance regional NHS systems and providers to deliver for clients and drive the federal government’s reform priorities.’

She stated 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 remove 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 work in specific assisting steer the NHS through the pandemic.

‘I have actually delighted in dealing with each of them over the last 8 months and I’ve been impressed by their skill and concentrate on providing enhancement for patients and staff.

‘We are going into a duration of critical transformation for our NHS. ‘With a stronger relationship in between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will collaborate with the speed and urgency needed to the scale of the difficulty.’

Since June last year, NHS England utilized just under 15,000 full-time comparable personnel, including long-term, 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 primary financial officer Julian Kelly has actually also included his name to leaders resigning from their positions

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

UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: ‘Staff will be not surprisingly worried about this unexpected modification of instructions.

‘The number of redundancies being sought at NHS England has actually trebled in simply a matter of weeks.

‘Em ployees there have currently been through the mill with unlimited rounds of reorganisation. What was already a difficult possibility has now ended up being more like a problem.

‘Fixing a broken NHS requires a proper strategy, with central bodies resourced and managed efficiently so local services are supported.

‘Rushing through cuts brings a danger of developing an even more, more complicated mess and could ultimately hold the NHS back. That would let down the very individuals who require it most, the patients.’

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, stated: ‘These modifications are taking place at a scale and pace not prepared for to start with, but given the substantial savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes sense to lower areas of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has currently provided significant cost savings and helped to provide enhancements in productivity, but nationwide bodies and local NHS leaders understand that more is needed this year.

‘These changes represent the greatest reshaping of the NHS’s nationwide architecture in more than a decade. It is necessary that local NHS organisations and other bodies are included in this change as the instant next actions end up being clearer, so that an optimal operating model can be developed.

‘This need to have to do with doing things in a different way for the advantage of regional neighborhoods as both clients and taxpayers, in addition to for staff ahead of yearly survey results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to reveal the severe difficulties they deal with.’

Wes Streeting