Half of staff at NHS England could be cut under ‘radical’ restructuring

LONDON,ENGLAND - February 2025, In this photo illustration a NHS front line workers uniform. (Photo by Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)
The job losses will affect the NHS executive body in England (Picture: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)

NHS England could lose half of its officials under major restructuring plans, the health service’s leaders have said.

Staff at the organisation’s central body were told the workforce will be ‘radically reduced’, meaning thousands of jobs are at risk, ‘to make best possible use of taxpayers’ money’.

Just weeks ago, plans were unveiled to slash jobs at ‘the centre’ – the name given to the HQs for the NHS in England and the government’s Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) – by 15%, the equivalent of 2,000 jobs.

But officials said the new round of streamlining could see the ‘size of the centre decrease by around half’, meaning 6,500 jobs could be lost.

According to reports, leaders are keen to reduce duplication of work at both health bodies.

Helga Pile, head of health at Unison, said staff at the organisation would ‘be understandably concerned’ about what she described as a ‘sudden change in direction’.

She said: ‘The number of redundancies being sought at NHS England has trebled in just a matter of weeks.

‘Employees there have already been through the mill with endless rounds of reorganisation. What was already a stressful prospect has now become more like a nightmare.’

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 8: Health Secretary Wes Streeting with Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of NHS England, during a visit to the Abbey Medical Centre on July 8, 2024 in London, England. New Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed Wes Streeting to the position of Health and Social Care Secretary after Labour won the general election with a clear majority. Labour took 411 seats out of 649 with the Conservatives on 121 and the Liberal Democrats on 71. (Photo by Yui Mok - Pool/Getty Images)
Health Secretary Wes Streeting with NHS England’s outgoing chief executive Amanda Pritchard (Picture: Yui Mok – Pool/Getty Images)

NHS England is the executive body that oversees the day-to-day operation of the health service in England. The rate of job cuts do not apply to the wider NHS across the country.

A ‘transition team’ is to be set up by Sir Jim Mackey, who will take over from Amanda Pritchard as the organisation’s chief executive on an interim basis at the beginning of next month.

Pritchard told staff in an email: ‘I know this news will be very unsettling.

‘The transition team will develop plans over the coming weeks and we know that colleagues will want this to be completed as soon as possible to provide future certainty.’

TRURO, ENGLAND - JANUARY 04: Masked NHS staff work on the reception desk in the Emergency Department at the Royal Cornwall Hospital on January 04, 2025 in Truro, England. The NHS in Cornwall has declared a system critical incident, citing "sustained pressure" brought on by a surge in flu and other seasonal illnesses leading to hospital admissions experienced by the county's main hospital and emergency department over the last week. (Photo by Hugh Hastings/Getty Images)
The Health Secretary has called for dramatic changes to make the NHS viable for the future (Picture: Hugh Hastings/Getty Images)

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation which represents NHS trusts in England, said the job losses were happening ‘at a scale and pace not anticipated to begin with’.

However, he added it ‘makes sense to reduce areas of duplication at a national level’, ‘given the huge savings that the NHS needs to make this year’.

Pritchard announced in February she would be stepping down, and three other members of the top team are also leaving at the end of this month in a major shake-up.

Medical director Sir Stephen Powis is also departing in the summer.

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