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 extreme cost-cutting procedures.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is focused on eliminating 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, provide better worth for taxpayers and free-up cash for the frontline.

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

The newest leaders to sign up with the exodus are Julian Kelly, the chief financial 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 tasked with overseeing the everyday running of the health service and its long-term strategy.

It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to provide it higher political independence however Mr Streeting is eager to regain tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England stated in a declaration: ‘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 reduced and might see the size of the centre decrease by around half.’

The deeper staffing cuts follow a decrease of about 4,000 to 6,000 employees at NHS England over the previous 2 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, 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 shipment officer Steve Russell (left) and chief operating officer Emily Lawson (ideal) are among the latest employers to join the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will become interim president at the start of April, will set up a transition team within NHS England to ‘lead the radical 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 significant difficulties and changes ahead.’We aim to have a transition team in place to begin on the first April 2025 to help lead us through this period.’

Ms Pritchard said in a note to staff, seen by the Health Service Journal: ‘In the last couple of weeks, I have actually stated I believe the time is ideal for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest support local NHS systems and service providers to deliver for clients and drive the government’s reform top priorities.’

She said Mr Streeting had asked Sir Jim and Penny Dash, the inbound NHS England chair, to ‘lead this work, delivering considerable changes 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 devotion as public servants, and their operate in particular helping steer 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 patients and staff.

‘We are going into a period of vital transformation 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 required to fulfill the scale of the difficulty.’

Since June last year, NHS England employed just under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, including permanent, 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

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

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

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

‘Fixing a damaged NHS needs a proper strategy, with central bodies resourced and handled effectively so local services are supported.

through cuts brings a risk of developing an even more, more complex mess and might eventually hold the NHS back. That would let down the very people who require it most, the patients.’

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These modifications are occurring at a scale and rate not prepared for to start with, but given the big savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes good sense to lower areas of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has already provided substantial cost savings and helped to provide improvements in productivity, however national bodies and local NHS leaders understand that more is required this year.

‘These modifications represent the most significant improving of the NHS’s national architecture in more than a years. It is very important that local NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this change as the immediate next steps end up being clearer, so that a maximum operating model can be produced.

‘This should have to do with doing things in a different way for the advantage of regional neighborhoods as both clients and taxpayers, in addition to for staff ahead of yearly survey results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to reveal the severe difficulties they deal with.’

Wes Streeting