Government announces abolition of NHS England
The health secretary Wes Streeting had earlier announced NHS England’s workforce would shrink by half to save money and avoid ‘duplication’, however the government has now chosen to abolish NHS England entirely. The functions of NHS England will now come under the Department of Health and Social Care.
The health secretary said: ‘When money is so tight, we can’t justify such a complex bureaucracy with two organisations doing the same jobs. We need more doers, and fewer checkers, which is why I’m devolving resources and responsibilities to the NHS frontline.’
Integrated care boards have also been told to cut running costs by 50 per cent.
During the forthcoming period of change for NHS England, it's important that everything possible is done to ensure that patients’ care is not disrupted and that the progress the NHS has been making in some areas is not reversed.
Going forward, any changes in structures need to have improvements in patient access to and experience of care at their heart.
