The UK government has announced major cuts to NHS England as part of a strategy to streamline operations and reduce duplication with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). Around 6,500 jobs, nearly half of NHS England’s workforce, will be cut, aiming to save £175 million annually, BBC reported.
This follows news that several senior board members, including chief executive Amanda Pritchard and medical director Sir Stephen Powis, will leave the organisation. NHS staff have expressed shock and concern at the scale of the cuts, which far exceed the 2,000 job losses initially proposed.
The restructuring will also impact the DHSC, which will undergo downsizing while working more closely with NHS England. These changes are expected to give Health Secretary Wes Streeting greater control over the NHS’s operations. The move marks a significant overhaul of the NHS’s national framework, the largest in over a decade, according to Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation.
NHS England stated that the workforce reductions are necessary to make better use of taxpayer money and improve the efficiency of frontline services. The reshaping process follows previous job cuts in recent years, including reductions of 4,000 to 6,000 employees at NHS England and 800 at the DHSC.
The announcement of these cuts, which will take effect from April 2025, has left staff feeling unsettled, but the NHS is putting a transition team in place to guide the changes. Pritchard acknowledged the unsettling nature of the news but emphasised the need for radical reform. The focus will be on eliminating redundancies between the two organisations and ensuring a more integrated and efficient health system.