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 procedures.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is focused on getting rid of duplication throughout the organisations after their labor forces swelled throughout the pandemic.

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

Three more NHS England board members yesterday revealed 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 most recent leaders to sign up with the exodus are Julian Kelly, the primary monetary officer, Emily Lawson, the chief operating officer, and Steve Russell, the chief delivery officer and national director for vaccination and screening.

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

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

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

The deeper staffing cuts follow a reduction of about 4,000 to 6,000 workers at NHS England over the previous two 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, amidst 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 chief operating officer Emily Lawson (best) are among the most recent employers to join the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will become interim president at the start of April, will establish a transition group within NHS England to ‘lead the extreme decrease and reshaping of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care’.

He said: ‘We know that today’s news is upsetting for our staff, and we have considerable challenges and changes ahead.’We aim to have a shift group in location to begin on the 1st April 2025 to assist lead us through this duration.’

Ms Pritchard said in a note to personnel, seen by the Health Service Journal: ‘In the last couple of weeks, I have stated I think the time is ideal 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 federal government’s reform priorities.’

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

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

‘I have actually delighted in working with each of them over the last eight months and I have actually been impressed by their skill and focus on delivering improvement for patients and staff.

‘We are getting in a period of crucial improvement for our NHS. ‘With a stronger relationship between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will collaborate with the speed and seriousness required to satisfy the scale of the obstacle.’

Since June in 2015, NHS England employed just under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, including long-term, short-lived 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 percent more than in January 2020.

NHS England chief Julian Kelly has actually 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 season

UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: ‘Staff will be not surprisingly concerned about this sudden change of direction.

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

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

‘Fixing a damaged NHS requires a proper strategy, with central bodies resourced and handled efficiently so regional services are supported.

‘Rushing through cuts brings a risk of creating an even more, more complicated mess and could eventually hold the NHS back. That would let down the very individuals who require it most, the clients.’

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, stated: ‘These changes are happening at a scale and rate not expected to begin with, however given the substantial savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes good sense to lower locations of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has actually already provided significant savings and assisted to provide improvements in performance, but national bodies and local NHS leaders understand that more is needed this year.

‘These changes represent the greatest reshaping of the NHS’s nationwide architecture in more than a years. It is necessary that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this improvement as the instant next steps end up being clearer, so that a maximum operating model can be created.

‘This need to have to do with doing things differently for the advantage of regional communities as both clients and taxpayers, in addition to for staff ahead of yearly survey results on Thursday that are yet again expected to show the severe difficulties they face.’

Wes Streeting