The UK government has announced a major NHS overhaul, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting confirming that NHS England will be scrapped to save money and streamline healthcare management. While Streeting has acknowledged a “risk of disruption” during the transition, he has promised long-term improvements in patient care.
Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Streeting defended the move, saying:
“Of course, there are always up-front costs. And yes, there is always a risk of disruption. But I’ve seen waste, inefficiency, and duplication, and we need to go after that.”
The Labour government expects the restructuring to take two years and save hundreds of millions of pounds, which will be redirected to frontline NHS services.
What Will Change Under the New NHS Reform?
The abolition of NHS England, which the government described as “the world’s largest quango,” is intended to:
• Cut bureaucracy and eliminate inefficiencies.
• Bring health services directly under ministerial control.
• Reduce administrative roles, with approximately 9,000 job losses expected across NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
• Simplify NHS oversight, as frontline healthcare leaders have complained of excessive and conflicting regulations.
NHS England, previously responsible for overseeing healthcare funding and service performance, will now be fully integrated into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). However, Streeting has assured the public that these changes will not impact patient access to NHS services, which will remain free at the point of use.
NHS Bureaucracy Under Review
Streeting has hinted that more cuts to NHS bureaucracy could follow, stating that this move is “the beginning, not the end” of Labour’s mission to reduce inefficiency in the health sector.
He has appointed Penny Dash, the newly appointed chairman of NHS England, to conduct a full review of NHS bureaucracy. The review will assess whether further public health agencies and regulatory bodies should be restructured or abolished.
Currently, the Department of Health oversees multiple health agencies, including:
• Care Quality Commission (CQC)
• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
Streeting has not confirmed which organizations might be affected, but suggested that NHS services suffer from “overregulation”, with local healthcare leaders struggling under contradictory demands from multiple regulators.
Political Reactions and Impact on NHS Jobs
The government expects significant job losses as a result of these reforms. Streeting admitted:
“I can’t sugarcoat the fact that there will be a significant number of job losses, but we will ensure people are treated fairly and supported properly.”
While the Conservative Party has welcomed the decision to bring the NHS under ministerial control, it warned that Labour will now be fully accountable if things go wrong.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats urged the government to prioritize patient care and ensure that the NHS overhaul does not negatively affect healthcare services. They also called for a comprehensive review of social care, which remains in crisis.
As Labour moves forward with its NHS reforms, the full impact of scrapping NHS England remains to be seen. However, with job losses, structural changes, and further cuts on the horizon, Streeting’s NHS overhaul is set to be one of the most significant healthcare reforms in recent history
