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 in the middle of drastic cost-cutting procedures.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is targeted at eliminating duplication throughout the organisations after their labor forces 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 money for the frontline.

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

The 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 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 method.

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

NHS England said in a statement: ‘As part of the need to make finest possible use of taxpayers’ cash to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be significantly minimized and could 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 staff members 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 looking for to tighten his control over the NHS, in the middle of plans 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 at the end of this month

NHS England chief delivery officer Steve Russell (left) and primary operating officer Emily Lawson (right) are amongst the latest employers 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 radical reduction and improving of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care’.

He said: ‘We understand that today’s news is upsetting for our personnel, and we have substantial difficulties and changes ahead.’We aim to have a transition team in location to start on the first 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 said I believe the time is right for radical reform of the size and functions of the centre to best support local NHS systems and service providers to provide for clients and drive the federal 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 significant changes in our relationship with DHSC to eliminate 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’ve enjoyed dealing with each of them over the last eight months and I have actually been impressed by their skill and concentrate on providing enhancement for clients and staff.

‘We are getting in a duration of crucial change for our NHS. ‘With a more powerful relationship between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will collaborate with the speed and seriousness needed to meet the scale of the challenge.’

Since June in 2015, NHS England employed just under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, consisting of 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 likewise added his name to leaders resigning from their positions

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

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

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

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

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

‘Rushing through cuts brings a risk of producing an even more, more complicated mess and could eventually hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very people who require it most, the patients.’

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These changes are happening at a scale and speed not anticipated to start with, however provided the big cost savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes good sense to decrease locations of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has actually already delivered considerable savings and assisted to deliver enhancements in efficiency, however nationwide bodies and local NHS leaders know that more is required this year.

‘These modifications represent the most significant reshaping of the NHS’s national architecture in more than a years. It is essential that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this improvement as the instant next actions become clearer, so that an optimal operating model can be created.

‘This must be about doing things differently for the advantage of local communities as both patients and taxpayers, as well as for personnel ahead of yearly survey results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to reveal the extreme difficulties they deal with.’

Wes Streeting