Government Has No Clear Plan For Nhs England Abolition, Say Mps

The authorities is abolishing NHS England without a clear scheme for really it will beryllium achieved and really it will use frontline care, a cross-party group of MPs has warned.

Ministers announced successful March that nan assemblage responsible for overseeing nan wellness work successful England would go, pinch its functions brought into nan Department of Health and Social Care.

But nan Public Accounts Committee said it was concerned astir nan uncertainty being caused and urged nan authorities to group retired a clear scheme wrong nan adjacent 3 months.

The authorities said nan move would destruct "wasteful duplication" and that elaborate readying had started.

Alongside nan changes astatine a nationalist level, nan 42 section wellness boards responsible for readying services are besides having to shed astir half of their 25,000 staff.

The MPs besides raised concerns astir nan "jaw-dropping" magnitude of money lawyers are making from objective negligence claims. Of nan £2.8bn paid retired successful 2023-24, astir a 5th went connected ineligible costs.

It said this was unacceptable and much must beryllium done to amended safety.

Committee chair and Tory MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said nan changes to NHS England and section wellness boards amounted to a awesome structural reform.

He said beardown decision-making and knowledgeable unit would beryllium captious to negociate a play of "huge pressure" for nan NHS.

"It has been 2 months since nan government's determination to region what, up until now, has been seen arsenic a cardinal portion of machinery, without articulating a clear scheme for what comes adjacent – and nan early for patients and unit remains hazy," he added.

NHS England, which employs astir 15,000 staff, is successful complaint of £193bn of nationalist assemblage money this year.

The simplification successful staffing of abolishing NHS England is expected to prevention £400m, while nan trim successful section wellness committee unit is expected to adhd different £700-750m.

A spokeswoman for nan Department of Health and Social Care said nan changes would destruct "wasteful duplication" and a associated committee was already moving connected elaborate plans.

"Serious betterment is needed to tackle nan challenges facing nan NHS," she added.

Matthew Taylor, main executive of nan NHS Confederation, which represents NHS trusts, said nan changes "marked nan biggest reshaping of nan NHS successful a decade".

He said that while galore managers successful nan NHS understood nan request for change, nan deficiency of item and really nan plans fitted successful pinch nan forthcoming 10-year scheme were "a origin for concern" for those moving nan wellness service.