Plans to cut personnel numbers in half at NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care were unveiled yesterday amidst drastic cost-cutting measures.

The 'bonfire of bureaucrats' is focused on getting rid of duplication across the organisations after their workforces swelled throughout the pandemic.

Health secretary Wes Streeting is likewise seeking to tighten his control over the NHS, provide much better value for taxpayers and free-up cash for the frontline.

Three more NHS England board members yesterday revealed they will stop at the end of this month, following the recent resignations of chief executive Amanda Pritchard and nationwide medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis.

The latest leaders to sign up with the exodus are Julian Kelly, the chief financial officer, Emily Lawson, the officer, and Steve Russell, the chief shipment officer and national director for vaccination and screening.

NHS England is the nationwide quango charged with overseeing the daily running of the health service and its long-lasting method.

It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to provide it greater political independence but Mr Streeting is keen to regain tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England said in a declaration: 'As part of the need to make finest possible usage of taxpayers' cash to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be radically minimized and might see the size of the centre decrease by around half.'

The deeper staffing cuts follow a reduction of about 4,000 to 6,000 workers at NHS England over the past two years and about 800 at the Department of Health and Social Care.

Health secretary Wes Streeting is also looking for to tighten his control over the NHS, amid plans to cut personnel numbers in half at NHS England and the Department of Health

Former NHS England chief Amanda Pritchard will step down from her position at the end of this month

NHS England chief shipment officer Steve Russell (left) and chief operating officer Emily Lawson (right) are amongst the most recent employers to sign up with the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will end up being interim chief executive at the start of April, will set up a transition group within NHS England to 'lead the extreme reduction and improving of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care'.

He stated: 'We understand that today's news is upsetting for our staff, and we have considerable challenges and modifications ahead.'We aim to have a shift team in place to start on the 1st April 2025 to help lead us through this period.'

Ms Pritchard stated in a note to personnel, seen by the Health Service Journal: 'In the last number of weeks, I have actually stated I think the time is ideal for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to best assistance regional NHS systems and companies to provide for patients and drive the government's reform concerns.'

She said Mr Streeting had actually asked Sir Jim and Penny Dash, the inbound NHS England chair, to 'lead this work, delivering considerable changes in our relationship with DHSC to eradicate duplication'.

Mr Streeting stated: 'I want to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their devotion as public servants, and their operate in specific helping guide the NHS through the pandemic.

'I've taken pleasure in dealing with each of them over the last 8 months and I have actually been impressed by their ability and focus on providing improvement for clients and personnel.

'We are getting in a duration of critical transformation for our NHS. 'With a more powerful relationship in between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will collaborate with the speed and urgency needed to meet the scale of the challenge.'

As of June last year, NHS England employed just under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, including irreversible, short-lived and consultancy. The Department of Health and Social Care had around 9,000, consisting of the UK Health Security Agency. These are both around 30 percent more than in January 2020.

NHS England primary monetary officer Julian Kelly has actually also included his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS nationwide medical director, announced last week he would step down this summertime

UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: 'Staff will be understandably concerned about this sudden change of direction.

'The number of redundancies being looked for at NHS England has trebled in just a matter of weeks.

'Em ployees there have already been through the mill with limitless rounds of reorganisation. What was currently a demanding prospect has actually now become more like a problem.

'Fixing a broken NHS requires a correct strategy, with central bodies resourced and handled successfully so local services are supported.

'Rushing through cuts brings a danger of creating an even more, more complicated mess and could eventually hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very people who need it most, the patients.'

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, said: 'These modifications are occurring at a scale and rate not prepared for to begin with, but given the substantial cost savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes sense to decrease areas of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

'NHS England has actually already delivered significant cost savings and helped to provide enhancements in performance, but nationwide bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is needed this year.

'These changes represent the most significant reshaping of the NHS's nationwide architecture in more than a years. It is very important that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this improvement as the instant next steps end up being clearer, so that a maximum operating model can be developed.

'This should be about doing things differently for the benefit of regional communities as both clients and taxpayers, in addition to for staff ahead of annual survey results on Thursday that are yet once again expected to show the extreme obstacles they face.'

Wes Streeting