There were gasps in NHS England’s headquarters near Waterloo station on Thursday morning as Sir Keir Starmer announced live on television that the organisation was being abolished. The 15,000 staff working for the central NHS body were blindsided by the prime minister’s decision. More than half will be sacked, with the rest merged into similar roles at the Department of Health. It marks one of the biggest reorganisations in NHS history, bringing to an end a decade-long experiment to give the health service greater independence from government. Like its demise, the birth of NHS England resulted from a party leader needing a big announcement that would wrongfoot his critics.

Source: The Times March 14, 2025 06:23 UTC