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 unveiled the other day amidst extreme cost-cutting procedures.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is intended 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 worth for taxpayers and free-up cash for the frontline.

Three more NHS England board members yesterday announced they will give up at the end of this month, following the current 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 chief financial officer, Emily Lawson, the chief running officer, and Steve Russell, the chief delivery officer and national director for vaccination and screening.

NHS England is the nationwide quango entrusted with overseeing the of the health service and its long-term strategy.

It was established by the Tories in 2013 to provide it higher political self-reliance but Mr Streeting is eager to gain back tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England said in a declaration: ‘As part of the requirement to make best possible use of taxpayers’ money to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be significantly lowered 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 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 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 shipment officer Steve Russell (left) and primary operating officer Emily Lawson (best) are among the most recent bosses 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 shift group within NHS England to ‘lead the radical decrease and reshaping of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care’.

He said: ‘We understand that today’s news is upsetting for our staff, and we have considerable difficulties and changes ahead.’We intend to have a shift team in location to begin on the first April 2025 to help lead us through this period.’

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

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

Mr Streeting stated: ‘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 helping steer the NHS through the pandemic.

‘I’ve enjoyed dealing with each of them over the last eight months and I’ve been impressed by their skill and concentrate on providing enhancement for clients and staff.

‘We are going into a period of vital transformation for our NHS. ‘With a more powerful relationship between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will work together with the speed and urgency needed to satisfy the scale of the difficulty.’

As of June last year, NHS England used 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 percent more than in January 2020.

NHS England chief financial officer Julian Kelly has actually also added his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS national medical director, revealed recently he would step down this summer

UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: ‘Staff will be not surprisingly worried about this unexpected change of instructions.

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

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

‘Fixing a damaged NHS requires an appropriate strategy, with main bodies resourced and managed effectively so regional services are supported.

‘Rushing through cuts brings a risk of producing a further, more complicated mess and could ultimately hold the NHS back. That would let down the very individuals who need it most, the clients.’

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, stated: ‘These modifications are occurring at a scale and rate not expected to begin with, however offered the big savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes 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 currently delivered substantial savings and assisted to deliver enhancements in performance, but national bodies and local NHS leaders know that more is required this year.

‘These changes represent the biggest improving of the NHS’s nationwide architecture in more than a decade. It is very important that local NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this transformation as the instant next steps end up being clearer, so that an optimal operating design can be produced.

‘This must be about doing things in a different way for the advantage of local communities as both patients and taxpayers, in addition to for personnel ahead of yearly survey results on Thursday that are yet again expected to reveal the extreme obstacles they deal with.’

Wes Streeting