Government planned job cuts at NHS England go much further than previously announced, with up to 50% of staff in central roles at risk.

NHS England’s outgoing Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard has announced that the government is planning substantial job cuts of the NHS England workforce. Government plans ‘could see the size of the centre decrease by around half’, she told staff this week.

The job losses will go much further than previously announced cuts in January that around 15% of NHS England’s headcount would be reduced. Pritchard has confirmed to staff that the work started on reducing headcount by the original 15% figure would be stopped as they prepare for much larger job cuts.

It is unclear at this stage how the cuts will impact the Department for Health and Social Care and if the cuts could be 50% at each respective central organisation or 50% of central staff as a whole.

A formal change programme board will be jointly established by NHS England and DHSC with an appointment yet to be made for the individual leading this work. The board will report to NHS England chair Penny Dash and DHSC lead non-executive board member Alan Milburn, who will be co-chairs to the board.

NHS England has now frozen all existing vacancies, with Pritchard saying the organisation will only recruit in ‘exceptional circumstances’.

The move comes as Health Secretary Wes Streeting has asked incoming NHS England Transition Chief Executive Jim Mackey to eradicate duplication between NHS England and DHSC to support the government’s NHS reform agenda.

Responding to the additional cuts, MiP Chief Executive Jon Restell said:

“The chaotic nature of this announcement, coming so soon after the previously announced cuts, will have a destabilising effect on NHS England’s workforce. The approach is deeply hurtful and disrespectful to people who get out of bed in the morning wanting to improve the NHS and patient care.

“MiP is clear that if the government is serious about its NHS reform agenda then it must set out these plans before announcing more cuts. MiP and our members are not opposed to reform, but blunt headcount reductions to save money in the short term is not a credible reform agenda. The government should prioritise establishing clear structures, retaining skills and keeping up morale as it prepares to publish its 10 Year Health Plan this spring

“The NHS needs management more than ever as it struggles to get waiting lists down and healthy patients out of hospitals. You can’t cut your way to efficient NHS. Rushing through cuts at this time will only cause further damage to a health system going through one of the most challenging periods of its history.”