NHS England to be scrapped, reimagined with streamlined tech focus

The National Health Service of England will no longer be an independent organization supported by the British government. By slashing duplication, the Department of Health and Social Care said it will reduce unnecessary administrative spending and empower NHS staff to deliver better care for patients. 

“We now need to bring NHS England and DHSC together so we can deliver the biggest bang for our buck for patients, as we look to implement the three big shifts – analog to digital, sickness to prevention and hospital to community – and build an NHS fit for the future,” said Sir James Mackey, NHS England Transition CEO, in a statement.

WHY IT MATTERS

Reversing a major top-down decision ushered in by former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2012, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on March 13 that the move to slash the £200 billion of taxpayer money it takes to operate NHS England would free up NHS itself to focus more on patients.

“That money could and should be spent on nurses, doctors, operations, GP appointments,” Starmer said in a video posted by Financial Times.

Earlier in the week, NHS England staff were warned of job cuts of up to 50%, and several senior officials resigned, according to the story. 

NHS England’s incoming chair, Dr. Penny Dash, said in an agency statement that she will “work to bring together NHS England and DHSC to reduce duplication and streamline functions.”

“When money is so tight, we cannot justify such a complex bureaucracy with two organizations doing the same jobs,” Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said in the announcement about resorbing NHS England. “We need more doers and fewer checkers, which is why I’m devolving resources and responsibilities to the NHS frontline.”

“We know that while unsettling for our staff, today’s announcement will bring welcome clarity as we focus on tackling the significant challenges ahead and delivering on the government’s priorities for patients,” Mackey added.

Streeting noted that the creation of the NHS England bureaucracy “led to the longest waiting times, lowest patient satisfaction and most expensive NHS in history.”

The number of people working for NHS more than doubled since 2010, when the NHS delivered its shortest waiting times and the highest patient satisfaction, the agency said.

DHSC also said that a centralized model could procure cutting-edge technology more rapidly at a lower cost and work more closely with the life sciences sector to advance treatments.

“If it’s done well, with meaningful alignment between innovation, procurement and delivery, it could genuinely transform services and patient experience,” Dr. Rachael Grimaldi, cofounder and CEO of CardMedic, said in a statement shared with several media outlets.

Rachael Fox, executive vice president of UK and EMEA for Altera Digital Health, said digital maturity and transformation have progressed across the NHS, including the interoperability of patient information.

“To support recovery and true reform, it’s essential that momentum with innovation to drive better patient outcomes is maintained while we work through this transition,” she said.

THE LARGER TREND

Mackey noted NHS England has played a vital role in improving the nation’s health, including leading COVID-19 vaccinations and introducing “the latest, most innovative new treatments for patients.”

In October, NHS England rolled out radiology artificial intelligence across 10 health trusts providing access to more than 75 regulatory-approved AI technologies from a single platform created by Deepc, an AI company.

NHS England said at the time that in rapidly deploying radiology AI, it could help reduce wait times for patients, increase the speed of diagnoses and help relieve pressure on NHS radiology departments.

ON THE RECORD

“Just because reform is difficult does not mean it should not be done,” Streeting said in a statement. “This government will never duck the hard work of reform. We will take on vested interests and change the status quo.”

Updated March 20, 2025. The previous version of this story contained an incorrect prefix for Altera’s Rachael Fox. 

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: [email protected]
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