Plans must be shared on the abolition of NHS England within the next three months to curb high levels of uncertainty, according to the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The committee said it was ‘essential’ that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) formulate the plans ‘quickly’ and provide certainty for patients and staff ‘as soon as possible’.
Yesterday it published a report which warned that NHS England’s abolition announced in March has ‘created high levels of uncertainty for patients and for staff’.
It stressed that the plans should also prioritise retaining ‘close and effective’ working relations with GPs, local councils and directors of public health.
The Government announced plans to scrap NHS England earlier this year, in a bid to ‘reduce duplication’ and to direct more resources ‘back into the front line’.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said that NHS England will be ‘brought into’ DHSC ‘entirely’ over the next two years.
The PAC report said: ‘It is disappointing that the Department and NHS England do not have a clear plan for how they will achieve the required reductions in headcount, and are unable to articulate the costs involved.
‘The reductions have been announced prior to the finalisation of the NHS’ 10-Year Health Plan, and therefore we do not yet know how these fit with the wider plans for the NHS.
‘This includes not knowing how the savings made from NHS England’s reduced staffing costs will translate into a stable financial footing for frontline NHS services.’
On plans for the abolition of NHSE, committee chair Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said: ‘It has been two months since Government’s decision to remove what up until now has been seen as a key piece of machinery without articulating a clear plan for what comes next, and the future for patients and staff remains hazy.
‘These changes also require 50% reduction in local health board staff, including frontline services such as health prevention, GP services and dentistry.
‘These services are usually the first interaction a patient has with the NHS, so we will require further reassurance and clarity on how government intends these changes to play out on the local level.’
A DHSC spokesperson said: ‘Serious reform is needed to tackle the challenges facing the NHS, which is why we are bringing NHS England back into the department – eliminating wasteful duplication and freeing up hundreds of millions for the frontline.
‘We’ve always been up front that completing this process is expected to take around two years, but through our Plan for Change we are getting on with the job so people can once again be confident the NHS is there for them when they need it.’
Last week it was revealed that the ICB running cost envelope was to be reduced to £18.76 per head, after ICBs were told they must make 50% cuts. Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB has already laid out plans to merge with Gloucestershire ICB as part of efforts to make cuts.
A version of this story was first published on our sister title Pulse.
