Sir Keir Starmer has announced NHS England will be abolished to “cut bureaucracy” and bring the management of the health service “back into democratic control”.
The Prime Minister said decisions about billions of pounds of taxpayer policy should not be taken by an “arms-length” body as he vowed to implement sweeping reforms that the Government says will deliver better care for patients. He has taken aim at a “cottage industry of checkers and blockers slowing down delivery for working people” while arguing the state has become bigger but weaker.
The Prime Minister said: “I don’t see why decisions about £200billion of taxpayer money, on something as fundamental as the NHS, should be taken by an arms-length body.
“Today has got to be a line in the sand for all of us I can’t explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy.
“That money could and should be spent on nurses, doctors, operations, GP appointments. I’m bringing management of the NHS back into democratic control.”
“By abolishing the arms-length body NHS England, that will put the NHS back at the heart of government where it belongs, freeing it to focus on patients, less bureaucracy, with more money for nurses.”
This followed recent announcements that NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard and medical director Sir Stephen Powis will quit, told Daily Express.
NHS England was established in 2012 by former Tory Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to give it greater independence and autonomy.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “This is the final nail in the coffin of the disastrous 2012 reorganization, which led to the longest waiting times, lowest patient satisfaction, and most expensive NHS in history.
“When money is so tight, we can’t justify such a complex bureaucracy with two organizations doing the same jobs. We need more doers, and fewer checkers, which is why I’m devolving resources and responsibilities to the NHS frontline.
“NHS staff are working flat out but the current system sets them up to fail. These changes will support the huge number of capable, innovative, and committed people across the NHS to deliver for patients and taxpayers.
“Just because reform is difficult doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done. This government will never duck the hard work of reform. We will take on vested interests and change the status quo, so the NHS can once again be there for you when you need it.”
Abolishing NHS England will reduce “duplication”, saving money that can then be spent on frontline services, the Prime Minister said.
Work will begin immediately to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department for Health and Social Care.
Answering a question from a cancer patient on how the decision would improve NHS services, Sir Keir said: “Amongst the reasons we are abolishing it is because of the duplication.
“So, if you can believe it, we’ve got a communications team in NHS England, we’ve got a communications team in the health department of government; we’ve got a strategy team in NHS England, a strategy team in the government department. We are duplicating things that could be done once.
“If we strip that out, which is what we are doing today, that then allows us to free up that money to put it where it needs to be, which is the front line.”
He added that the Government wanted to push power to frontline workers “and away from the bureaucracy which often holds them up”.
