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 revealed the other day amid drastic cost-cutting procedures.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is targeted at getting rid of duplication throughout 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, provide better worth 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 recent resignations of primary executive Amanda Pritchard and national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis.

The most current leaders to sign up with the exodus are Julian Kelly, the primary financial officer, Emily Lawson, the chief operating officer, and Steve Russell, the chief shipment and national director for vaccination and screening.

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

It was established by the Tories in 2013 to offer it higher political independence but Mr Streeting is keen to regain tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England said in a statement: ‘As part of the requirement to make finest possible use of taxpayers’ money to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be significantly minimized and might see the size of the centre reduction by around half.’

The much deeper staffing cuts follow a reduction 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 likewise seeking to tighten his control over the NHS, amid strategies 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 operating officer Emily Lawson (ideal) are amongst the latest managers to sign up with the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim president 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 know that today’s news is disturbing for our staff, and we have considerable difficulties and modifications ahead.’We aim to have a shift group in location to start on the 1st April 2025 to assist lead us through this period.’

Ms Pritchard stated in a note to staff, seen by the Health Service Journal: ‘In the last number of weeks, I have actually said I believe 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 government’s reform concerns.’

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

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

‘I have actually enjoyed working with each of them over the last 8 months and I’ve been impressed by their skill and focus on providing improvement for patients and staff.

‘We are going into a period of important improvement 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 obstacle.’

As of June last year, NHS England used simply under 15,000 full-time comparable staff, including irreversible, temporary 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 monetary officer Julian Kelly has actually also included his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS nationwide medical director, revealed recently he would step down this summer

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

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

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

‘Fixing a damaged NHS requires a correct plan, with main bodies resourced and handled efficiently so regional services are supported.

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

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These changes are happening at a scale and pace not prepared for to begin with, but offered the big cost savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes 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 currently delivered significant cost savings and assisted to deliver improvements in performance, but national bodies and local NHS leaders know that more is required this year.

‘These changes represent the biggest improving of the NHS’s nationwide architecture in more than a years. It is necessary that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are involved in this transformation as the instant next steps end up being clearer, so that a maximum operating design can be created.

‘This need to have to do with doing things in a different way for the advantage of local communities as both clients and taxpayers, in addition to for staff ahead of annual study results on Thursday that are yet once again expected to reveal the extreme obstacles they face.’

Wes Streeting