Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Starmer scraps NHS England to cut costs and improve care

The prime minister said that getting rid of NHS England would remove an unnecessary layer of red tape

Starmer scraps NHS England to cut costs and improve care

Keir Starmer speaks with medical staff during a visit to the Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Epsom Hospital in Epsom, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)


HUNDREDS of millions of pounds could be saved and patient waiting lists reduced as prime minister Keir Starmer announced plans to abolish NHS England, the body overseeing the state-funded health system.

In a speech delivered in Hull, Starmer explained his decision to streamline the National Health Service's management structure: "I can't, in all honesty, explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy."


The Labour government, elected in July on promises to grow the economy and rebuild public services, is taking urgent action to address what an independent September report called the "critical condition" of the NHS.

The country's healthcare system has been severely strained by the combined effects of the Covid pandemic, an ageing population, and industrial action, leaving millions waiting months or even years for medical procedures.

This healthcare crisis has broader economic implications, with Office for National Statistics data showing 2.8 million people are economically inactive due to long-term illness.

Health secretary Wes Streeting acknowledged that the reform would be "difficult" but necessary to redirect resources to frontline care. The change aims to eliminate the administrative layer created in 2012 when a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition established NHS England as an "arms-length" body to oversee spending priorities and service management in England.

"I'm trying to build a new team, a new organisation, new culture, new way of working. It can't be just about shuffling the deck chairs," Streeting told Times Radio.

The reform is expected to halve the combined workforce of approximately 19,000 currently employed by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care.

However, Streeting clarified that existing NHS England staff would not automatically lose their positions: "If people are working in NHS England today, it doesn't mean inevitably their jobs are going and they won't be working in the new organisation."

The government directly manages healthcare in England through its health ministry, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland maintain separate systems.

Streeting criticised the current arrangement, saying it had resulted in unnecessary duplication and excessive focus on compliance rather than value for money. By removing this layer of bureaucracy, the government hopes to free up substantial resources for direct patient care, including hiring more clinical staff and reducing the lengthy waiting times that have plagued the system.

The announcement comes as part of the government's broader strategy to address economic challenges and improve public services that have deteriorated in recent years.

January's unexpected 0.1 per cent contraction in GDP, following December's 0.4 per cent growth, has added pressure on the government ahead of its upcoming Spring Statement on the economy.

While the NHS as a whole employs more than one million people, this restructuring specifically targets administrative inefficiencies rather than frontline medical services.

(Agencies)

More For You

Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

The lunar eclipse of Friday may not have been as dramatic as the total eclipses seen in other parts of the world

iStock

Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

In the early hours of Friday morning, stargazers across the UK were treated to a partial lunar eclipse, with many enthusiasts rising before dawn to catch a glimpse. The celestial event, which saw the Earth's shadow partially covering the Moon, began at 05:09 GMT. Although only partial for most UK observers, it still presented a spectacular sight, with western parts of the country and regions further afield, such as the Americas and some Pacific islands, witnessing the eclipse.

For some, like Kathleen Maitland, the experience was magical. Stargazing from Pagham Harbour in West Sussex, she described the beauty of watching the Moon gradually darken and transform into a reddish hue, with the sunrise unfolding behind her. The eclipse gave rise to the so-called "blood Moon," a phenomenon that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, turning a dusky red as sunlight is refracted through the Earth's atmosphere.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

From L - Reetu Kabra, Sudha Sanghani, Parul Gajjar,Maya Sondhi,Shobu Kapoor, Meera Syal,Piyusha Virani, Sadhana Karia and Shobhna Shah during Sangam Foundation's Women's Day celebrations.

Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

HUNDREDS of women gathered for the International Women's Day celebrations of Sangam Foundation last week. Prominent actresses Meera Syal, Shobhu Kapoor and Maya Sondhi have attended the event, a statement said.

The British Asian celebrities shared their experiences of breaking into an industry rife with misogyny and prejudice. The industry veterans also talked about challenges they faced in a male-dominated field.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal
Democrats with £23,000

Sudhir Choudhrie

Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal Democrats with £23,000

BUSINESSMAN Sudhir Choudhrie has emerged as one of the biggest British Asian donors to the Liberal Democrats in the last quarter of 2024, according to the latest data from the Electoral Commission.

Choudhrie, currently an advisor on India to the leader of the Liberal Democrats, contributed on six different occasions to the party between October and December 2024, totalling more than £23,000. He contributed in a similar fashion in the previous quarter as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sunak is ‘content in his MP role
and has no desire to move to US’

(From left) Rishi Sunak with wife Akshata Murty, and parents Usha and Yashvir Sunak

Sunak is ‘content in his MP role and has no desire to move to US’

RISHI SUNAK “loves being an MP” and has no intention of flying to California to begin a new life in America, as his enemies alleged during the general election campaign last year.

And, unlike Boris Johnson, he is not striving to be prime minister again, even though he is still only 44.

Keep ReadingShow less
LEAD Amit 1 INSET Rishi Sunak GettyImages 1258681655
Rishi Sunak
Getty Images

'I am English': Sunak asserts as ethnic minorities debate identity politics in Britain

FORMER prime minister Rishi Sunak has made cultural and sociological history by becoming the first prominent personality to say a brown person can be not only British, but also English.

He dismissed as “ridiculous” the suggestion from his former home secretary, Suella Braverman, that Englishness “must be rooted in ancestry, heritage, and, yes, ethnicity” – in other words, the person has to be white.

Keep ReadingShow less