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 measures.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is intended at getting rid of duplication throughout the organisations after their workforces swelled during the pandemic.

Health secretary Wes Streeting is also seeking 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 announced 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 current leaders to join the exodus are Julian Kelly, the chief monetary 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 nationwide quango charged with managing the day to day running of the health service and its long-term strategy.

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

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

The much deeper staffing cuts follow a decrease of about 4,000 to 6,000 employees 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 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 primary operating officer Emily Lawson (ideal) are amongst the most recent bosses to join the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim primary executive at the start of April, will establish a shift team within to ‘lead the radical decrease and reshaping of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care’.

He stated: ‘We understand that today’s news is unsettling for our personnel, and we have significant challenges and modifications ahead.’We aim to have a shift group in place to begin on the first April 2025 to help lead us through this duration.’

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 right for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest assistance local NHS systems and providers to deliver for patients and drive the government’s reform concerns.’

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

Mr Streeting said: ‘I ‘d like to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their dedication as public servants, and their operate in particular assisting guide the NHS through the pandemic.

‘I have actually taken pleasure in dealing with each of them over the last eight months and I’ve been impressed by their skill and concentrate on delivering improvement for clients and staff.

‘We are entering a period of crucial change for our NHS. ‘With a stronger relationship between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will interact with the speed and urgency needed to fulfill the scale of the difficulty.’

As of June last year, NHS England employed simply under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, consisting of irreversible, temporary 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 per cent more than in January 2020.

NHS England primary monetary officer Julian Kelly has actually also included his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS nationwide medical director, announced last week he would step down this summer season

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

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

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

‘Fixing a broken NHS requires an appropriate 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 pull down the very individuals who need it most, the clients.’

Matthew Taylor, primary executive of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These changes are happening at a scale and rate not expected to begin with, however offered the big savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes good sense to reduce 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 savings and assisted to deliver enhancements in efficiency, but nationwide bodies and local NHS leaders understand that more is required this year.

‘These modifications represent the biggest reshaping of the NHS’s nationwide architecture in more than a years. It is essential that local NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this transformation as the instant next actions end up being clearer, so that an optimal operating design can be created.

‘This need to have to do with doing things differently for the benefit of regional communities as both clients and taxpayers, as well as for staff ahead of annual survey results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to reveal the severe challenges they face.’

Wes Streeting