NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care are planning a huge cut of around 50 per cent in their central staffing, HSJ has reported.
NHSE outgoing chief executive Amanda Pritchard said cuts to the organisation will “now need to go much further” than a move to cut about 2,000 (15 per cent) announced in January.
The cuts will form part of a major restructure of the centre instigated by health and social care secretary Wes Streeting, expected to bring NHSE more closely under the control of the department, and combine some of their teams.
Ms Pritchard said in a note to staff today the plans entailed “looking at ways of radically reducing the size of NHSE that could see the centre decrease by around half”.
A DHSC source said the overall size of the centre would shrink by around 50 per cent.
It follows a reduction of about 4-6,000 staff at NHSE in the past two years, and of about 800 at the DHSC — following large expansion at both during the covid pandemic (see charts below).
Ms Pritchard said: “In the last couple of weeks, I have said I believe the time is right for radical reform of the size and functions of the centre to best support local NHS systems and providers to deliver for patients and drive the government’s reform priorities.”
She said Mr Streeting had asked incoming NHSE CEO and chair Sir Jim Mackey and Penny Dash “to lead this work, delivering significant changes in our relationship with DHSC to eradicate duplication”.
Date: 10 March