NHS chief Amanda Pritchard will leave her post as Wes Streeting orders a restructure (Image: Getty)
A major shake-up of England’s management could see around half of central roles cut in a bid to streamline national leadership. It was announced on Monday that three more leading figures will be leaving their posts, following the news last week that chief executive Amanda Pritchard will step down at the end of March.
Chief financial officer, Julian Kelly, chief operating officer Dame Emily Lawson. and chief delivery officer Steve Russell will also leave the organisation at the end of the month. The country’s top doctor, NHS medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis, also plans to step down in the summer although his decision was said to be unrelated. In a message to staff, health officials said the latest announcements were “part of the upcoming changes to the size and function of the centre”.
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NHS England will be “radically reduced” and the “size of the centre decrease by around half”, it was said.
Health Secretary is understood to have instigated the restructure to bring the organisation more closely under the control of his department, with some duplicated roles slashed.
It comes as NHS leaders are reportedly being ordered to propose savings to prevent a £7billion deficit for the coming financial year.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, described the changes as “the biggest reshaping of the NHS’s national architecture in more than a decade”.
He added: “These changes are happening at a scale and pace not anticipated to begin with, but given the huge savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes sense to reduce areas of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.”
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NHS England said that Sir Jim Mackey, who begins his role as interim chief executive at the start of April, was to set up a “transition team within NHS England to lead the radical reduction and reshaping of the centre with DHSC”.
Ms Pritchard said: “It has been a privilege to work alongside Julian, Steve and Emily – they have made a huge contribution to the NHS and the country as a whole.
“There is no doubt the last few years have been the most difficult in NHS history, and the continued improvements to health service performance and productivity would not have been possible without their invaluable experience, skill and dedication.
“Not only have they expertly guided the NHS through the shock of and response to the pandemic – but also helped turn the corner in the recovery period.
“While now is the right moment for them to move on, I know they will be missed by their colleagues – not only for their professional brilliance, but their commitment to delivering the best for patients.”