Keir Starmer has today confirmed plans to abolish NHS England, in a move he states will bring the management of the NHS “back into democratic control” and support the government’s objective of “reshaping the state”.
In his speech in Hull this morning, the prime minister said: “I don’t see why decisions about £200 billion of taxpayer money, on something as fundamental to our security as the NHS, should be taken by an arms-length body, NHS England. I can’t in all honesty explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy – that money could and should be spent on nurses, doctors, GP appointments.”
Starmer noted that with the abolition of NHS England, the NHS would be brought back “at the heart of government, where it belongs, freeing it to focus on patients, less bureaucracy, more money for nurses – an NHS refocused on cutting waiting times at your hospital”.
Taking to X to share the news, Wes Streeting remarked: “The Prime Minister wants to reduce the number of QUANGOs. Today we are abolishing the biggest QUANGO in the world. I will be making a statement to Parliament shortly on the future of NHS England. We will deliver better care for patients and better value for taxpayers.”
To watch the prime minister’s speech in full, please click here.
Highlighting priorities and change across the health sector
For a recent HTN Now panel discussion, we were joined by experts from across the health sector to dissect the findings from Lord Darzi’s report, reflecting on what is holding the NHS back from innovation; the challenges and missed opportunities; and the role of digital and tech in driving change, supporting a focus on prevention and promoting integrated care. Panellists included Lee Rickles, CIO, director & deputy SIRO at Humber Teaching Hospitals; Andrew Jones, digital transformation leader at Amazon Web Services; Tracy McClelland, CCIO at Dedalus; and Dan Bunstone, clinical director at Warrington Innovation Network and Warrington ICB.
We also covered reactions from a range of stakeholders from across the health and technology sector. We asked for thoughts on the report’s findings and the “missed opportunities” Lord Darzi highlights from analysis of the past ten years, and look ahead to the ways technology can help secure the future of the NHS.
In October 2024, the Department of Health and Social Care launched an open call for comment on ideas for change within health and care as part of the 10 Year Health Plan. Since then, over 11,000 ideas have been put forward, with the most liked suggestion focusing on the accessibility of digital records. Posted by Ben Bradley, the idea suggests that “records from ALL hospitals should be available to view at ALL GP surgeries” and currently has 2,216 upvotes, the highest for an idea suggested so far, and 98 comments. Many of these comments echo the same sentiments, with others suggesting that interoperability should extend to all NHS providers, not just GP practices.
