Starmer scraps NHS England to cut bureaucracy and take control of health service

SIR Keir Starmer is to abolish NHS England to “cut bureaucracy” and bring management of the health service “back into democratic control”.

- Steph Spyro

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that up to 10,000 roles will be scrapped, meaning “hundreds of millions of pounds in savings”.

The process of axing “the world’s biggest quango” will be complete within two years and the laws needed to kick-start it will be unveiled in the King’s Speech this year, he added.

NHS England was established under the Conservatives in 2013 to give the health service greater independence and autonomy from government.

Its leaders have been responsible for an annual budget of around £190billion and have overseen NHS policy and operational delivery of services by local providers across the country.

But NHS waiting lists and inefficiencies have grown over time. Health is a devolved matter, so the equivalent bodies for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland cannot be dissolved by the Prime Minister.