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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 amid drastic cost-cutting steps.

The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is intended at throughout the organisations after their labor forces swelled throughout the pandemic.

Health secretary Wes Streeting is likewise looking for to tighten his control over the NHS, provide better value 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 recent 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 monetary 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 charged with supervising the everyday running of the health service and its long-term strategy.

It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to provide it higher political independence but 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 best possible use of taxpayers’ money to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be drastically decreased and could see the size of the centre decline by around half.’

The deeper staffing cuts follow a decrease of about 4,000 to 6,000 employees 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 seeking to tighten his control over the NHS, amidst plans 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 (ideal) are among the current bosses to join the exodus

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

He said: ‘We understand that today’s news is disturbing for our staff, and we have substantial obstacles and changes ahead.’We aim to have a transition team in place 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 number of weeks, I have actually stated I believe the time is best for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest support local NHS systems and suppliers to deliver for patients and drive the 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 substantial changes in our relationship with DHSC to eradicate duplication’.

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

‘I have actually taken pleasure in dealing with each of them over the last eight months and I have actually been impressed by their skill and focus on delivering enhancement for clients and staff.

‘We are entering a period 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 work together with the speed and seriousness needed to fulfill the scale of the difficulty.’

As of June in 2015, NHS England utilized simply under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, including long-term, 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 monetary officer Julian Kelly has also 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 understandably concerned about this unexpected change of direction.

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

‘Em ployees there have actually already been through the mill with endless rounds of reorganisation. What was currently a stressful prospect has now ended up being more like a nightmare.

‘Fixing a broken NHS requires an appropriate strategy, with main bodies resourced and handled successfully so local services are supported.

‘Rushing through cuts brings a threat of creating a further, more complex mess and could eventually hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very individuals who require it most, the patients.’

Matthew Taylor, primary executive of the NHS Confederation, stated: ‘These modifications are happening at a scale and pace not expected to begin with, however offered the substantial savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes sense to lower areas of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

‘NHS England has currently delivered significant savings and helped to provide improvements in efficiency, but nationwide bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is needed this year.

‘These modifications represent the biggest improving of the NHS’s nationwide architecture in more than a decade. It is necessary that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this change as the immediate next steps end up being clearer, so that an optimal operating design can be created.

‘This should be about doing things differently for the advantage of regional neighborhoods as both patients and taxpayers, in addition to for personnel ahead of annual study results on Thursday that are yet again expected to reveal the extreme challenges they face.’

Wes Streeting