Plans to cut staff numbers in half at NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care were unveiled the other day amidst extreme cost-cutting procedures.

The 'bonfire of bureaucrats' is aimed at getting rid of duplication throughout the organisations after their labor forces swelled during the pandemic.

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

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

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

NHS England is the nationwide quango tasked with supervising the everyday running of the health service and its long-term strategy.

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

NHS England said in a statement: 'As part of the need to make finest possible use of taxpayers' cash to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be drastically lowered and could see the size of the centre reduction by around half.'

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

Health secretary Wes Streeting is likewise seeking to tighten his control over the NHS, in the middle of plans to cut staff 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 primary operating officer Emily Lawson (best) are amongst the most recent bosses to sign up with the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will become interim president at the start of April, will set up a shift group within NHS England to 'lead the radical reduction and improving of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care'.

He said: 'We know that today's news is disturbing for our staff, and we have substantial obstacles and modifications ahead.'We aim to have a transition group in place to begin on the 1st April 2025 to help lead us through this duration.'

Ms Pritchard said in a note to staff, seen by the Health Service Journal: 'In the last couple of weeks, I have actually said I think the time is right for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to best assistance local NHS systems and companies to deliver for clients and drive the government's reform priorities.'

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

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

'I've delighted in dealing with each of them over the last 8 months and I have actually been impressed by their ability and focus on delivering improvement for patients and staff.

'We are getting in a period of vital change for our NHS. 'With a more powerful relationship between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will work together with the speed and seriousness needed to satisfy the scale of the difficulty.'

As of June last year, NHS England used just under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, including irreversible, temporary 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 financial officer Julian Kelly has likewise included his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS national medical director, revealed recently he would step down this summer

of health Helga Pile stated: 'Staff will be understandably concerned about this unexpected change of direction.

'The number of redundancies being sought at NHS England has actually trebled in simply a matter of weeks.

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

'Fixing a damaged NHS requires a proper plan, with main bodies resourced and managed successfully so regional services are supported.

'Rushing through cuts brings a risk of producing an even more, more complex mess and might eventually hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very individuals who require it most, the patients.'

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, said: 'These modifications are happening at a scale and rate not anticipated to begin with, but provided the huge savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes sense to reduce locations of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

'NHS England has actually currently provided substantial cost savings and assisted to provide improvements in productivity, but nationwide bodies and local NHS leaders know that more is required this year.

'These modifications represent the greatest improving of the NHS's national architecture in more than a years. It is essential that local NHS organisations and other bodies are involved in this change as the instant next actions end up being clearer, so that an optimum operating design can be created.

'This should be about doing things in a different way for the benefit of regional neighborhoods as both clients and taxpayers, as well as for staff ahead of annual study results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to reveal the severe difficulties they face.'

Wes Streeting