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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 yesterday amidst extreme cost-cutting steps.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is targeted at eliminating duplication throughout the organisations after their workforces swelled throughout the pandemic.

Health secretary Wes Streeting is likewise seeking to tighten his control over the NHS, deliver much better worth for taxpayers and free-up money 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 primary executive Amanda Pritchard and nationwide 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 operating officer, and Steve Russell, the chief shipment officer and nationwide director for vaccination and screening.

NHS England is the nationwide quango tasked with overseeing the daily running of the health service and its long-term technique.

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

NHS England stated in a statement: ‘As part of the requirement to make finest possible usage of taxpayers’ cash 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 workers 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 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 chief running officer Emily Lawson (best) are among the current managers to join the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim chief executive at the start of April, will set up a shift group within NHS England to ‘lead the extreme reduction and improving of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care’.

He said: ‘We understand that today’s news is unsettling for our personnel, and we have substantial difficulties and modifications ahead.’We intend to have a shift team in place to begin on the 1st April 2025 to help lead us through this period.’

Ms Pritchard stated in a note to personnel, 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 finest assistance local NHS systems and suppliers to deliver for clients and drive the government’s reform top priorities.’

She said Mr Streeting had actually asked Sir Jim and Penny Dash, the inbound NHS England chair, to ‘lead this work, providing substantial modifications in our relationship with DHSC to remove duplication’.

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

‘I have actually enjoyed working with each of them over the last 8 months and I have actually been impressed by their skill and focus on delivering enhancement for patients and personnel.

‘We are entering a duration of important change for our NHS. ‘With a stronger relationship in between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will interact with the speed and seriousness needed to meet the scale of the difficulty.’

Since June last year, NHS England utilized just under 15,000 full-time comparable staff, consisting of long-term, temporary and consultancy. The Department of Health and Social Care had around 9,000, including the UK Health Security Agency. These are both around 30 per cent 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 season

UNISON head of health Helga Pile stated: ‘Staff will be not surprisingly concerned about this abrupt change of instructions.

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

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

‘Fixing a damaged NHS requires a correct strategy, with main bodies resourced and managed efficiently so local services are supported.

‘Rushing through cuts brings a threat of developing an even more, more complicated mess and might hold the NHS back. That would let down the very individuals who need it most, the patients.’

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These modifications are taking place at a scale and rate not expected to start with, however provided the big savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes good sense to decrease locations of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has already delivered substantial savings and helped to deliver enhancements in productivity, however nationwide bodies and local NHS leaders know that more is needed this year.

‘These changes represent the biggest reshaping of the NHS’s national architecture in more than a decade. It is essential that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are involved in this change as the immediate next steps become clearer, so that an optimal operating model can be developed.

‘This should be about doing things differently for the advantage of local communities as both patients and taxpayers, in addition to for personnel ahead of yearly study results on Thursday that are yet once again anticipated to reveal the severe difficulties they face.’

Wes Streeting