Reforms to “reduce bureaucracy, make savings and empower NHS staff to deliver better care for patients” have been set out today by the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
NHS England will be brought back into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) “to put an end to the duplication resulting from two organisations doing the same job in a system currently holding staff back from delivering for patients” – stated the government.
“By stripping back layers of red tape and bureaucracy, more resources will be put back into the front line rather than being spent on unnecessary admin,” the government’s statement continued.
“The reforms will reverse the 2012 top-down reorganisation of the NHS which created burdensome layers of bureaucracy without any clear lines of accountability. As Lord Darzi’s independent investigation into the state of the NHS found, the effects of this are still felt today and have left patients worse off under a convoluted and broken system.
“The current system also penalises hardworking staff at NHS England and DHSC who desperately want to improve the lives of patients but who are being held back by the current overly bureaucratic and fragmented system.”
Health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “This is the final nail in the coffin of the disastrous 2012 reorganisation, which led to the longest waiting times, lowest patient satisfaction and most expensive NHS in history.
“When money is so tight, we cannot justify such a complex bureaucracy with 2 organisations doing the same jobs. We need more doers and fewer checkers, which is why I’m devolving resources and responsibilities to the NHS frontline.
“NHS staff are working flat out but the current system sets them up to fail. These changes will support the huge number of capable, innovative and committed people across the NHS to deliver for patients and taxpayers.
“Just because reform is difficult does not mean it should not be done. This government will never duck the hard work of reform. We will take on vested interests and change the status quo, so the NHS can once again be there for you when you need it.”
NHS England’s new leadership team, Sir Jim Mackey and Dr Penny Dash, will lead the transformation while “re-asserting financial discipline and continuing to deliver on the government’s priority of cutting waiting times through the Plan for Change”.
The government stated that the reforms would “provide the structure necessary to drive forward the three big shifts identified by government as crucial to building an NHS fit for the future – analogue to digital, sickness to prevention and hospital to community”.
ABDO CEO, Alistair Bridge, commented: “We are pleased to see the government’s renewed determination to delivering the three shifts needed to deliver better outcomes for patients, including moving more care from hospitals to the community. We also welcome the government’s plans to move to a new structure that delivers reform in line with these priorities.
“Dispensing opticians can play a significant role in improving patient care, working with optometrists as part of the primary eyecare team to reduce waiting times and prevent avoidable sight loss,” added Alistair.