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 revealed the other day amid drastic cost-cutting procedures.

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

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

Three more NHS England board members the other day revealed 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 latest 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 shipment officer and nationwide director for vaccination and screening.

NHS England is the nationwide quango tasked with managing the everyday running of the health service and its long-lasting technique.

It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to provide it greater political independence however Mr Streeting is keen to gain back tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England said in a declaration: ‘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 decreased and might 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 employees 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 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 running officer Emily Lawson (right) are amongst the newest employers to sign up with the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim primary executive at the start of April, will establish a transition team within NHS England to ‘lead the extreme decrease and improving 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 difficulties and changes ahead.’We aim to have a shift group in location to start on the first April 2025 to help 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 said I think the time is best for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to best support local NHS systems and companies to deliver for clients and drive the government’s reform priorities.’

She said Mr Streeting had 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 ‘d like to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their devotion as public servants, and their operate in specific helping steer the NHS through the pandemic.

‘I have actually delighted in working with each of them over the last 8 months and I’ve been impressed by their ability and concentrate on delivering improvement for patients and staff.

‘We are going into a duration of critical transformation for our NHS. ‘With a more powerful relationship in between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will collaborate with the speed and urgency required to fulfill the scale of the obstacle.’

Since June last year, NHS England employed just under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, including permanent, momentary 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 financial officer Julian Kelly has also included his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS nationwide medical director, revealed last week he would step down this summer

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

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

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

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

‘Rushing through cuts brings a danger of creating a further, more complex mess and might eventually hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very people who need it most, the patients.’

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These modifications are happening at a scale and pace not prepared for to begin with, however provided the big savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes sense to minimize areas of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has actually already delivered significant cost savings and assisted to deliver enhancements in productivity, however nationwide bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is required this year.

‘These changes represent the biggest reshaping 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 actions end up being clearer, so that an optimal operating model can be developed.

‘This need to be about doing things in a different way for the advantage of regional neighborhoods as both clients and taxpayers, in addition to for personnel ahead of annual survey results on Thursday that are yet once again anticipated to show the severe difficulties they face.’

Wes Streeting