Plans to numbers in half at NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care were unveiled yesterday in the middle of drastic cost-cutting procedures.

The 'bonfire of bureaucrats' is targeted at getting rid of duplication throughout the organisations after their workforces swelled throughout the pandemic.

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

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

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

NHS England is the national quango charged with supervising the day to day running of the health service and its long-term technique.

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

NHS England stated in a declaration: 'As part of the requirement to make finest possible use of taxpayers' cash to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be drastically reduced and could see the size of the centre decrease by around half.'

The much deeper staffing cuts follow a decrease of about 4,000 to 6,000 employees at NHS England over the past 2 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, amid strategies 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 delivery officer Steve Russell (left) and primary running officer Emily Lawson (right) are amongst the most recent employers to join the exodus

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

He said: 'We understand that today's news is disturbing for our personnel, and we have considerable obstacles and changes ahead.'We intend to have a shift group in place to start on the 1st April 2025 to assist lead us through this duration.'

Ms Pritchard stated in a note to personnel, seen by the Health Service Journal: 'In the last number of weeks, I have said I believe the time is right for radical reform of the size and functions of the centre to best assistance local NHS systems and service providers to provide for patients and drive the federal government's reform concerns.'

She said Mr Streeting had actually asked Sir Jim and Penny Dash, the incoming NHS England chair, to 'lead this work, delivering significant changes in our relationship with DHSC to get rid of duplication'.

Mr Streeting said: 'I wish to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their dedication as public servants, and their work in specific helping steer the NHS through the pandemic.

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

'We are entering a duration of vital transformation for our NHS. 'With a more powerful relationship in between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will interact with the speed and seriousness needed to satisfy the scale of the challenge.'

Since June last year, NHS England utilized just under 15,000 full-time equivalent personnel, consisting of long-term, momentary and consultancy. The Department of Health and Social Care had around 9,000, including the UK Health Security Agency. These are both around 30 per cent more than in January 2020.

NHS England chief financial officer Julian Kelly has 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 summer season

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

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

'Em ployees there have actually currently been through the mill with unlimited rounds of reorganisation. What was currently a difficult prospect has now ended up being more like a headache.

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

'Rushing through cuts brings a danger of developing a further, more complicated mess and might ultimately hold the NHS back. That would let down the very individuals who need it most, the clients.'

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

'NHS England has already delivered considerable savings and assisted to deliver enhancements in performance, however nationwide bodies and local NHS leaders know that more is needed this year.

'These changes represent the biggest reshaping of the NHS's national architecture in more than a years. It is very important that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are included in this improvement as the immediate next actions become clearer, so that an optimum operating design can be developed.

'This should have to do with doing things in a different way for the advantage of regional communities as both patients and taxpayers, as well as for staff ahead of yearly study results on Thursday that are yet again anticipated to reveal the severe challenges they deal with.'

Wes Streeting