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 yesterday amid extreme cost-cutting measures.
The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is targeted at getting rid of duplication throughout the organisations after their workforces swelled during the pandemic.
Health secretary Wes Streeting is likewise looking for to tighten his control over the NHS, deliver better worth for taxpayers and free-up money for the frontline.
Three more NHS England board members yesterday revealed they will quit at the end of this month, following the recent resignations of president Amanda Pritchard and nationwide medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis.
The to join the exodus are Julian Kelly, the chief financial officer, Emily Lawson, the chief operating officer, and Steve Russell, the chief delivery officer and national director for vaccination and screening.
NHS England is the national quango charged with supervising the everyday running of the health service and its long-term method.
It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to give it greater political independence but Mr Streeting is eager to regain tighter control from within his Department.
NHS England said in a statement: ‘As part of the requirement to make best possible use of taxpayers’ cash to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be radically minimized and might 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 past 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, in the middle of 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 shipment officer Steve Russell (left) and primary running officer Emily Lawson (best) are amongst the newest bosses to sign up with the exodus
Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim president at the start of April, will set up a shift team within NHS England to ‘lead the radical reduction 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 significant difficulties and changes ahead.’We aim to have a shift group in location to begin on the first April 2025 to assist lead us through this duration.’
Ms Pritchard stated in a note to staff, seen by the Health Service Journal: ‘In the last couple of weeks, I have said I think the time is right for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest support local NHS systems and providers to provide 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 considerable modifications in our relationship with DHSC to get rid of duplication’.
Mr Streeting said: ‘I ‘d like to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their devotion as public servants, and their operate in particular 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 ability and focus on providing enhancement for patients and staff.
‘We are going into a period of vital change for our NHS. ‘With a more powerful relationship between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will interact with the speed and urgency required to satisfy the scale of the challenge.’
As of June in 2015, NHS England used just under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, consisting of long-term, short-term 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 chief monetary officer Julian Kelly has likewise added his name to leaders resigning from their positions
Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS national medical director, revealed last week he would step down this summertime
UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: ‘Staff will be naturally concerned about this abrupt change of instructions.
‘The number of redundancies being sought at NHS England has actually trebled in just a matter of weeks.
‘Em ployees there have already been through the mill with endless rounds of reorganisation. What was currently a difficult possibility has actually now become more like a nightmare.
‘Fixing a damaged NHS requires an appropriate strategy, with main bodies resourced and handled efficiently so local services are supported.
‘Rushing through cuts brings a danger of creating an even more, more complicated mess and might 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 modifications are occurring at a scale and speed not prepared for to start with, but given the huge savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes sense to reduce locations of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.
‘NHS England has already provided considerable cost savings and helped to deliver improvements in efficiency, but nationwide bodies and local NHS leaders know that more is needed this year.
‘These changes represent the biggest improving of the NHS’s nationwide architecture in more than a decade. It is necessary that local NHS organisations and other bodies are involved in this improvement as the instant next actions become clearer, so that an optimal operating design can be produced.
‘This should have to do with doing things differently for the benefit of local communities as both patients and taxpayers, in addition to for staff ahead of annual survey results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to show the extreme challenges they face.’
Wes Streeting