Plans to cut personnel numbers in half at NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care were unveiled yesterday amidst drastic cost-cutting measures.

The 'bonfire of bureaucrats' is aimed at getting rid of duplication across 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 worth 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 recent resignations of chief executive Amanda Pritchard and nationwide medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis.

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

NHS England is the national quango entrusted with overseeing the day to day running of the health service and its long-lasting method.

It was established by the Tories in 2013 to give it greater political independence however Mr Streeting is eager to regain tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England stated in a statement: 'As part of the need to make finest possible use of taxpayers' money to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be drastically reduced and might see the size of the centre reduction by around half.'

The deeper staffing cuts follow a reduction of about 4,000 to 6,000 workers at NHS England over the past two 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, amidst plans 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 operating officer Emily Lawson (right) are among the latest managers to sign up with the exodus

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

He stated: 'We know that today's news is unsettling for our personnel, and we have significant obstacles and modifications ahead.'We intend to have a shift group in place to begin on the first April 2025 to help lead us through this duration.'

Ms Pritchard stated in a note to personnel, seen by the Health Service Journal: 'In the last couple of weeks, I have stated I think the time is best for radical reform of the size and functions of the centre to best assistance local NHS systems and companies to deliver for clients and drive the government's reform priorities.'

She said Mr Streeting had asked Sir Jim and Penny Dash, the inbound NHS England chair, to 'lead this work, providing substantial modifications in our relationship with DHSC to remove duplication'.

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

'I've enjoyed dealing with each of them over the last eight months and I have actually been impressed by their ability and focus on delivering improvement for clients and personnel.

'We are getting in a period of crucial improvement for our NHS. 'With a stronger relationship between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will collaborate with the speed and seriousness needed to fulfill the scale of the obstacle.'

As of June in 2015, NHS England employed simply under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, consisting of long-term, momentary and consultancy. The Department of Health and Social Care had around 9,000, consisting of the UK Health Security Agency. These are both around 30 per cent more than in January 2020.

NHS England primary financial officer Julian Kelly has likewise added his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS nationwide medical director, revealed recently he would step down this summer season

UNISON head of health Helga Pile stated: 'Staff will be naturally worried about this abrupt change of direction.

'The number of redundancies being looked for at NHS England has actually trebled in simply a matter of weeks.

'Em ployees there have actually currently been through the mill with endless rounds of reorganisation. What was already a demanding possibility has actually now ended up being more like a headache.

'Fixing a broken NHS needs an appropriate plan, with central bodies resourced and managed successfully so local services are supported.

'Rushing through cuts brings a danger of producing a further, more complex mess and could eventually hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very people who require it most, the clients.'

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, stated: 'These modifications are taking place at a scale and speed not anticipated to begin with, but provided the big cost savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes sense to minimize areas of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

'NHS England has actually currently provided considerable cost savings and assisted to deliver enhancements in performance, however national bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is needed this year.

'These modifications represent the biggest improving of the NHS's nationwide architecture in more than a years. It is important that regional NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this change as the instant next actions become clearer, so that an optimum operating model can be created.

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

Wes Streeting