NHS England 'has lost control of health service', says BMA

As the news that NHS England is to be dismantled sinks in, the British Medical Association (BMA) and other bodies have weighed in on the decision.

According to Prof Phil Banfield, chair of the BMA council, it had become clear that the centre "no longer has a grip on the health service, its staffing or the future of the NHS," although he praised the hard work of the leadership and staff.

Referring to the decision announced yesterday by Prime Minister Keir as a "high-stakes move," Banfield said that the government must ensure that it retains the expertise needed to achieve its much-touted reform of the NHS.

"The systematic fragmentation and incremental cuts to the NHS have made it too complex and unclear to frontline staff, patients, and the next generation of doctors just who is responsible for today, tomorrow, and the future," according to Banfield.

He also warned that, without the buffer of NHS England, the buck will now clearly stop with Health Secretary Wes Streeting as the reform process plays out.

Yesterday, Streeting said that there was an enormous amount of duplication between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, adding that "Work has already begun to strip out the duplication…and bring many of NHS England's functions into the Department."

For now, at least, there's far more speculation than fact about the reorganisation of the administrative and commissioning side of the NHS, which was NHS England's main remit, other than a pledge from the government that the process will be completed within two years.

The King's Fund think tank said that the centre – which was set up in 2013 under the previous Conservative government and employs around 13,000 people – had been asked to take on a lot more additional power and functions, and therefore staff, than it was originally designed to do.

"The most important question is how will the abolition of NHS England make it easier for people to get a GP appointment, shorten waits for planned care and improve people's health?" commented its chief executive Sarah Woolnough, who suggested that the cost savings in dismantling it will be minimal in the context of the entire NHS budget.

"That hasn't yet been set out – ministers will need to explain how the prize will be worth the price," she added, noting that the country is now waiting in anticipation for the Labour government's 10-year plan for the NHS later this year.

Matthew Taylor, CEO of the NHS Confederation which represents organisations that plan, commission and commission NHS services, and Daniel Elkeles, incoming CEO of NHS Providers which represents health service trusts, issued a joint statement on the news.

They said that their members would "understand the dynamics at play here," whilst also warning that the decision had come at "an extremely challenging time, with rising demand for care, constrained funding and the need to transform services."

Figures released yesterday showed that the NHS elective procedure waiting list in January fell for the fifth month in a row, from 7.46 million to 7.43 million, a reduction of 193,000 since July 2024.

Image created using an image from Andre William on Unsplash