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 the other day amid extreme cost-cutting procedures.

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

Health secretary Wes Streeting is likewise seeking to tighten his control over the NHS, provide much better value for taxpayers and free-up money 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 recent resignations of president Amanda Pritchard and nationwide medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis.

The newest leaders to sign up with the exodus are Julian Kelly, the primary monetary officer, Emily Lawson, the chief running officer, and Steve Russell, the chief delivery officer and nationwide director for vaccination and screening.

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

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

NHS England said in a statement: ‘As part of the need to make best possible usage of taxpayers’ money 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 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 seeking to tighten his control over the NHS, in the middle of 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 primary running officer Emily Lawson (ideal) are among the newest employers to sign up with the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim chief executive at the start of April, will establish a shift team within NHS England to ‘lead the extreme reduction and improving of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care’.

He stated: ‘We understand that today’s news is unsettling for our staff, and we have considerable challenges and modifications ahead.’We aim to have a transition group in location to start on the 1st April 2025 to assist 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 stated I think the time is right for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to best assistance regional NHS systems and providers to deliver for patients and drive the government’s reform top 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 said: ‘I want to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their dedication as public servants, and their work in specific helping guide 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 ability and concentrate on providing improvement for patients and staff.

‘We are entering a duration of crucial change 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 urgency needed to fulfill the scale of the difficulty.’

Since June last year, NHS England utilized simply under 15,000 full-time comparable staff, consisting of permanent, short-lived 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 nationwide medical director, announced recently he would step down this summer

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

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

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

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

‘Rushing through cuts brings a risk of creating a further, more complicated mess and might eventually hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very individuals who need it most, the clients.’

Matthew Taylor, of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These modifications are taking place at a scale and pace not prepared for to begin with, however provided the big savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes sense to reduce locations of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has actually already delivered considerable cost savings and helped to deliver improvements in productivity, but nationwide bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is needed this year.

‘These modifications represent the greatest improving of the NHS’s nationwide architecture in more than a decade. It is important that local NHS organisations and other bodies are included in this change as the immediate next steps become clearer, so that a maximum operating design can be produced.

‘This need to have to do with doing things differently for the benefit of local communities as both patients and taxpayers, along with for staff ahead of yearly study results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to reveal the severe difficulties they deal with.’

Wes Streeting