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 throughout the organisations after their workforces swelled throughout the pandemic.
Health secretary Wes Streeting is also seeking to tighten his control over the NHS, deliver better value for taxpayers and free-up cash for the frontline.
Three more NHS England board members the other day announced they will stop at the end of this month, following the recent resignations of president Amanda Pritchard and national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis.
The most current leaders to join 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 national quango charged with managing the everyday running of the health service and its long-term technique.
It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to offer it higher political independence but Mr Streeting is eager to regain tighter control from within his Department.
NHS England stated in a declaration: ‘As part of the requirement to make finest possible use of taxpayers’ cash to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be drastically reduced and might see the size of the centre decrease by around half.’
The deeper staffing cuts follow a reduction of about 4,000 to 6,000 staff members 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, amid 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 delivery officer Steve Russell (left) and chief running officer Emily Lawson (best) are amongst the most current bosses to join the exodus
Sir Jim Mackey, who will become interim chief executive at the start of April, will establish a shift group within NHS England to ‘lead the extreme decrease and improving of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care’.
He stated: ‘We know that today’s news is upsetting for our staff, and we have substantial challenges and modifications ahead.’We intend to have a transition group in location to start on the first April 2025 to help lead us through this period.’
Ms Pritchard said in a note to staff, seen by the Health Service Journal: ‘In the last couple of weeks, I have stated I believe the time is right for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest support systems and service providers to provide for patients and drive the federal government’s reform top priorities.’
She stated Mr Streeting had asked Sir Jim and Penny Dash, the incoming NHS England chair, to ‘lead this work, providing significant changes in our relationship with DHSC to eradicate 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 particular helping steer the NHS through the pandemic.
‘I have actually taken pleasure in working with each of them over the last 8 months and I’ve been impressed by their ability and focus on providing enhancement for clients and staff.
‘We are getting in a period of crucial transformation for our NHS. ‘With a more powerful relationship between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will collaborate with the speed and urgency needed to fulfill the scale of the challenge.’
As of June in 2015, NHS England used just under 15,000 full-time equivalent personnel, consisting of irreversible, temporary 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 financial officer Julian Kelly has actually also included his name to leaders resigning from their positions
Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS nationwide medical director, announced last week he would step down this summer
UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: ‘Staff will be not surprisingly worried about this sudden change of instructions.
‘The variety of redundancies being looked for at NHS England has trebled in just a matter of weeks.
‘Em ployees there have already been through the mill with unlimited rounds of reorganisation. What was already a demanding prospect has actually now become more like a nightmare.
‘Fixing a broken NHS requires a proper strategy, with central bodies resourced and managed efficiently so local services are supported.
‘Rushing through cuts brings a risk of producing a further, more complex mess and could ultimately hold the NHS back. That would let down the very individuals who need it most, the clients.’
Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, stated: ‘These modifications are taking place at a scale and pace not prepared for to start with, but provided the huge savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes good sense to minimize areas of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.
‘NHS England has actually already provided significant savings and assisted to deliver improvements in performance, however nationwide bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is required this year.
‘These modifications represent the biggest improving 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 transformation as the immediate next steps become clearer, so that an optimal operating model can be created.
‘This should have to do with doing things differently for the advantage of local neighborhoods as both patients and taxpayers, as well as for personnel ahead of yearly survey results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to reveal the severe obstacles they deal with.’
Wes Streeting