PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer has abolished NHS England, bringing the health service under direct ministerial control.
The decision reverses a key reform introduced by former health secretary Andrew Lansley during the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, The Guardian reported.
In a speech on reshaping the state, Starmer said the move was aimed at cutting bureaucracy and ensuring that the NHS is overseen by elected politicians rather than an arm’s-length body.
He stated that the change would free up funds for doctors, nurses, and frontline services while reducing red tape to accelerate improvements in the health system.
The government has set a target to reduce waiting lists before the next election.
Health secretary Wes Streeting, who has already overseen a plan to halve the size of NHS England, confirmed that its functions would be transferred to the Department of Health.
“We are abolishing the biggest quango in the world,” Streeting said on Thursday.
NHS England’s chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, is set to leave her position at the end of the month.
An aerial view of the British Steel Scunthorpe site on September 13, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)
Mehakdeep Singh,Sehajpal Singh
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski