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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 in the middle of drastic cost-cutting steps.

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

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

Three more NHS England board members the other day revealed they will quit 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 join the exodus are Julian Kelly, the chief financial officer, Emily Lawson, the chief operating officer, and Steve Russell, the chief delivery officer and nationwide director for vaccination and screening.

NHS England is the national quango tasked with supervising the everyday running of the health service and its long-term method.

It was established by the Tories in 2013 to give 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 requirement to make best possible usage of taxpayers’ money to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be drastically reduced 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 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, in the middle of 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 delivery officer Steve Russell (left) and chief operating officer Emily Lawson (right) are amongst the latest managers 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 transition team within NHS England to ‘lead the radical decrease 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 difficulties and modifications ahead.’We intend to have a transition group in place 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 couple of weeks, I have actually said I believe the time is ideal for radical reform of the size and functions of the centre to best assistance local NHS systems and companies to deliver for patients and drive the federal government’s reform top priorities.’

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

Mr Streeting stated: ‘I want to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their commitment as public servants, and their work in particular assisting steer the NHS through the pandemic.

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

‘We are entering a period of vital change for our NHS. ‘With a more powerful relationship in between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will work together with the speed and seriousness needed to satisfy the scale of the challenge.’

Since June last year, NHS England employed just under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, consisting of long-term, 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 also added 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

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

‘The variety of redundancies being sought at NHS England has trebled in simply a matter of weeks.

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

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

‘Rushing through cuts brings a danger of creating an even more, more complex mess and could ultimately hold the NHS back. That would let down the very people who require it most, the clients.’

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These changes are at a scale and pace not prepared for to begin with, but offered the big savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes sense to decrease areas of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has already provided considerable cost savings and helped to provide improvements in performance, but nationwide bodies and local NHS leaders understand that more is required this year.

‘These modifications represent the biggest improving of the NHS’s national architecture in more than a years. It is important that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are involved in this improvement as the immediate next actions become clearer, so that a maximum operating design can be produced.

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

Wes Streeting