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 unveiled the other day in the middle of drastic cost-cutting procedures.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is targeted at removing duplication across the organisations after their labor forces swelled throughout the pandemic.

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

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

The most recent 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 national director for vaccination and screening.

NHS England is the national quango charged with overseeing the day to day running of the health service and its long-term strategy.

It was established 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 stated in a declaration: ‘As part of the need to make best possible use of taxpayers’ money to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be drastically reduced 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 workers 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 shipment officer Steve Russell (left) and chief running officer Emily Lawson (right) are among the most current bosses to join the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will become interim chief executive at the start of April, will set up a shift 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 know that today’s news is upsetting for our staff, and we have considerable obstacles and changes ahead.’We intend to have a shift team in location to begin on the 1st April 2025 to assist lead us through this duration.’

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 believe the time is right for radical reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest support local NHS systems and suppliers to deliver for patients and drive the government’s reform priorities.’

She stated Mr Streeting had asked Sir Jim and Penny Dash, the inbound NHS England chair, to ‘lead this work, delivering substantial modifications in our relationship with DHSC to get rid of duplication’.

Mr Streeting stated: ‘I want to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their dedication as public servants, and their operate in specific helping steer the NHS through the pandemic.

‘I have actually delighted in dealing with each of them over the last 8 months and I have actually been impressed by their ability and focus on providing improvement for clients and personnel.

‘We are getting in a period of vital change 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 satisfy the scale of the difficulty.’

As of June last year, NHS England used just under 15,000 full-time comparable personnel, 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 primary financial officer Julian Kelly has also included his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS nationwide medical director, announced recently he would step down this summertime

UNISON head of health Helga Pile stated: ‘Staff will be understandably concerned about this sudden change of instructions.

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

‘Em ployees there have currently been through the mill with endless rounds of reorganisation. What was already a demanding prospect has actually now ended up being more like a nightmare.

‘Fixing a damaged NHS requires an appropriate plan, with central bodies resourced and so local services are supported.

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

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These changes are taking place at a scale and speed not anticipated to start with, however offered the substantial savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes good sense to decrease locations of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has actually already delivered considerable cost savings and assisted to provide improvements in productivity, however national bodies and regional NHS leaders understand 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 very important that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are involved in this change as the immediate next steps become clearer, so that an optimum operating model can be developed.

‘This should have to do with doing things differently for the advantage of regional communities as both patients and taxpayers, as well as for personnel ahead of yearly study results on Thursday that are yet again expected to reveal the severe challenges they face.’

Wes Streeting