Plans to cut staff numbers in half at NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care were unveiled the other day amid drastic cost-cutting procedures.

The 'bonfire of bureaucrats' is aimed at removing duplication throughout the organisations after their workforces swelled during the pandemic.

Health secretary Wes Streeting is likewise looking for to tighten his control over the NHS, provide better worth for taxpayers and free-up cash for the frontline.

Three more NHS England board members the other day announced they will give up at the end of this month, following the recent resignations of president Amanda Pritchard and national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis.

The most recent leaders to join the exodus are Julian Kelly, the chief monetary officer, Emily Lawson, the chief running officer, and Steve Russell, the chief shipment officer and national director for vaccination and screening.

NHS England is the national quango tasked with supervising the day to day running of the health service and its long-term method.

It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to give it greater political self-reliance but Mr Streeting is keen to restore tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England stated in a declaration: 'As part of the requirement to make best possible usage of taxpayers' cash to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be radically decreased and might see the size of the centre decline by around half.'

The deeper staffing cuts follow a reduction of about 4,000 to 6,000 workers at NHS England over the past two years and about 800 at the Department of Health and Social Care.

Health secretary Wes Streeting is also seeking to tighten his control over the NHS, in the middle of strategies to cut staff numbers in half at NHS England and the Department of Health

Former NHS England chief Amanda Pritchard will step down from her position at the end of this month

NHS England chief delivery officer Steve Russell (left) and primary operating officer Emily Lawson (ideal) are among the current managers to sign up with the exodus

Sir Jim Mackey, who will become interim chief executive at the start of April, will establish a transition group within NHS England to 'lead the extreme reduction and improving of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care'.

He stated: 'We know that today's news is unsettling for our staff, and we have substantial difficulties and modifications ahead.'We intend to have a shift group in location to start on the 1st April 2025 to help lead us through this duration.'

Ms Pritchard said in a note to staff, seen by the Health Service Journal: 'In the last number of weeks, I have actually stated I think the time is best for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to finest support regional NHS systems and service providers to provide for clients and drive the government's reform priorities.'

She stated Mr Streeting had asked Sir Jim and Penny Dash, the incoming NHS England chair, to 'lead this work, delivering substantial modifications in our relationship with DHSC to eradicate duplication'.

Mr Streeting stated: 'I want to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their devotion as public servants, and their work in particular helping guide the NHS through the pandemic.

'I have actually enjoyed working with each of them over the last eight months and I've been impressed by their ability and concentrate on delivering enhancement for clients and personnel.

'We are going into a duration of vital transformation for our NHS. 'With a more powerful relationship between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will collaborate with the speed and seriousness required to meet the scale of the obstacle.'

Since June last year, NHS England used simply under 15,000 full-time equivalent staff, including long-term, temporary and consultancy. The Department of Health and Social Care had around 9,000, including the UK Health Security Agency. These are both around 30 percent more than in January 2020.

NHS England primary financial officer Julian Kelly has also included his name to leaders resigning from their positions

Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS national medical director, announced recently he would step down this summer season

UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: 'Staff will be not surprisingly worried about this sudden modification of instructions.

'The variety of redundancies being sought at NHS England has actually trebled in simply a matter of weeks.

'Em ployees there have actually already been through the mill with endless rounds of reorganisation. What was already a stressful prospect has now become more like a headache.

'Fixing a damaged NHS needs an appropriate strategy, with main bodies resourced and handled successfully so regional services are supported.

'Rushing through a threat of creating an even more, more complex mess and might eventually hold the NHS back. That would pull down the very individuals who need it most, the clients.'

Matthew Taylor, primary executive of the NHS Confederation, said: 'These modifications are taking place at a scale and speed not anticipated to begin with, however provided the huge cost savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes sense to minimize locations of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

'NHS England has currently delivered considerable savings and helped to deliver improvements in performance, but nationwide bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is required this year.

'These changes represent the most significant improving of the NHS's nationwide architecture in more than a decade. It is essential that local NHS organisations and other bodies are associated with this change as the immediate next actions become clearer, so that an optimum operating design can be developed.

'This need to be about doing things differently for the advantage of local communities as both clients and taxpayers, in addition to for personnel ahead of yearly study results on Thursday that are yet again expected to show the extreme obstacles they deal with.'

Wes Streeting