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 revealed the other day in the middle of extreme cost-cutting procedures.
The ‘bonfire of bureaucrats’ is focused on removing 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 better worth for taxpayers and free-up cash 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 chief executive Amanda Pritchard and nationwide medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis.
The most recent leaders to join the exodus are Julian Kelly, the primary financial officer, Emily Lawson, the chief operating officer, and Steve Russell, the chief shipment officer and national director for vaccination and screening.
NHS England is the nationwide quango tasked with managing the daily running of the health service and its long-term method.
It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to provide it higher political self-reliance but Mr Streeting is keen to gain back tighter control from within his Department.
NHS England said in a statement: ‘As part of the requirement to make best possible use of taxpayers’ money to support services, the size of NHS England will be radically decreased and could see the size of the centre reduction by around half.’
The deeper staffing cuts follow a decrease of about 4,000 to 6,000 staff members at NHS England over the past two 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, amid plans 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 (best) are amongst the current managers to join the exodus
Sir Jim Mackey, who will become interim president at the start of April, will set up a transition team within NHS England to ‘lead the radical reduction and improving of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care’.
He stated: ‘We understand that today’s news is unsettling for our staff, and we have considerable obstacles and modifications ahead.’We aim to have a transition group in place to start on the 1st April 2025 to help lead us through this duration.’
Ms Pritchard stated in a note to personnel, seen by the Health Service Journal: ‘In the last number of weeks, I have said I believe the time is best for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to best assistance regional NHS systems and companies to provide for clients and drive the government’s reform priorities.’
She stated Mr Streeting had asked Sir Jim and Penny Dash, the inbound NHS England chair, to ‘lead this work, providing considerable modifications in our relationship with DHSC to get rid of duplication’.
Mr Streeting stated: ‘I want to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their dedication as public servants, and their operate in particular helping guide the NHS through the pandemic.
‘I’ve taken pleasure in working with each of them over the last 8 months and I’ve been impressed by their skill and concentrate on delivering enhancement for clients and personnel.
‘We are getting in a duration of vital improvement for our NHS. ‘With a stronger relationship in between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will collaborate with the speed and seriousness needed to fulfill the scale of the obstacle.’
Since June last year, NHS England employed just under 15,000 full-time comparable personnel, consisting of irreversible, momentary 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 primary monetary officer Julian Kelly has likewise included his name to leaders resigning from their positions
Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS national medical director, revealed last week he would step down this summer season
UNISON head of health Helga Pile stated: ‘Staff will be naturally 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 currently been through the mill with unlimited rounds of reorganisation. What was currently a demanding prospect has now ended up being more like a problem.
‘Fixing a damaged NHS needs a correct strategy, with central bodies resourced and handled efficiently so local services are supported.
‘Rushing through cuts brings a threat of creating a further, more complicated mess and might eventually hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very individuals who need it most, the clients.’
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘These modifications are occurring at a scale and speed not expected to begin with, however provided the huge savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes sense to lower locations 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 provide improvements in productivity, but national bodies and local 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 years. It is crucial that local NHS organisations and other bodies are involved in this change as the immediate next actions become clearer, so that a maximum operating design can be developed.
‘This need to have to do with doing things differently for the benefit of local neighborhoods as both clients and taxpayers, as well as for staff ahead of yearly survey results on Thursday that are yet once again anticipated to show the extreme obstacles they deal with.’
Wes Streeting