As reported by Digital Health, thousands of NHS jobs in England are set to be cut after the Treasury approved a deal allowing the health service to overspend this year to fund redundancy costs
The government confirmed that NHS England will be brought back under the Department of Health and Social Care within two years, part of a wider plan to reduce bureaucracy.
At the NHS Providers Conference in Manchester today, Health Secretary Wes Streeting will authorise NHS leaders to move forward with plans to halve the workforce of integrated care boards (ICBs).
ICBs will be reshaped as part of the government’s plan to turn the NHS into a Neighbourhood Health Service, prioritising illness prevention. According to the government, this change means the boards will become “leaner organisations, with half their current posts removed.”
Streeting is expected to say that while the government is protecting NHS investment in the Budget with an additional £29 billion, taxpayers “should be assured every penny will be spent wisely.”
Responding to the announcement, Dr Tom Dolphin, chair of council at the British Medical Association, warned that while cutting bureaucracy may save money, removing so many roles at once could undermine progress on prevention and public health and have a serious impact on those losing their jobs.
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