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 the other day amidst extreme cost-cutting measures.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is intended at getting rid of 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, deliver much better worth for taxpayers and free-up cash for the frontline.

Three more NHS England board members yesterday revealed they will stop at the end of this month, following the recent resignations of chief executive Amanda Pritchard and national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis.

The most recent leaders to join the exodus are Julian Kelly, the chief financial 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 day to day running of the health service and its long-term method.

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

NHS England said in a declaration: ‘As part of the requirement to make best possible usage of taxpayers’ cash to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be radically lowered and could see the size of the centre decrease by around half.’

The deeper staffing cuts follow a reduction of about 4,000 to 6,000 staff members at NHS England over the past 2 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, 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 delivery officer Steve Russell (left) and chief running officer Emily Lawson (best) are amongst the current employers to sign up with the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim primary executive at the start of April, will set up a shift team within NHS England to ‘lead the extreme reduction and reshaping 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 significant difficulties and modifications ahead.’We aim to have a shift group in place to begin on the first 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 couple of weeks, I have actually stated I think the time is right for radical reform of the size and functions of the centre to best assistance local NHS systems and service providers to provide for clients and drive the government’s reform priorities.’

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

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

‘I’ve enjoyed dealing with each of them over the last eight months and I have actually been impressed by their ability and concentrate on providing improvement for patients and personnel.

‘We are getting in 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 interact with the speed and seriousness required to fulfill the scale of the difficulty.’

Since June in 2015, NHS England utilized just under 15,000 full-time comparable personnel, including long-term, 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 percent more than in January 2020.

NHS England chief financial officer Julian Kelly has also included his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Powis, the NHS national medical director, announced recently he would step down this summer season

UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: ‘Staff will be naturally worried about this abrupt modification of direction.

‘The variety of redundancies being looked for 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 prospect has now ended up being more like a headache.

‘Fixing a broken NHS needs a proper plan, with central bodies resourced and managed efficiently so regional services are supported.

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

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

‘NHS England has actually already delivered significant cost savings and helped to deliver enhancements in performance, but national bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is required this year.

‘These modifications represent the greatest improving of the NHS’s nationwide architecture in more than a years. It is essential that local NHS organisations and other bodies are involved in this change as the instant next actions become clearer, so that a maximum operating model can be created.

‘This must have to do with doing things in a different way for the benefit of local neighborhoods as both patients and taxpayers, in addition to for personnel ahead of annual survey results on Thursday that are yet once again expected to reveal the severe challenges they deal with.’

Wes Streeting