Government has no clear plan for NHS England abolition, say MPs

The authorities is abolishing NHS England without a wide program for however it volition beryllium achieved and however it volition payment frontline care, a cross-party radical of MPs has warned.

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

But the Public Accounts Committee said it was acrophobic astir the uncertainty being caused and urged the authorities to acceptable retired a wide program wrong the adjacent 3 months.

The authorities said the determination would destruct "wasteful duplication" and that elaborate readying had started.

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

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

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

Committee seat and Tory MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said the changes to NHS England and section wellness boards amounted to a large structural reform.

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

"It has been 2 months since the government's determination to region what, up until now, has been seen arsenic a cardinal portion of machinery, without articulating a wide program for what comes adjacent – and the aboriginal for patients and unit remains hazy," helium added.

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

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

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

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

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

He said that portion galore managers successful the NHS understood the request for change, the deficiency of item and however the plans fitted successful with the forthcoming 10-year program were "a origin for concern" for those moving the wellness service.