March 13, 2025

expert reaction to Starmer scrapping NHS England

Scientists comment on the PM’s decision to abolish NHS England. 

Prof Azeem Majeed FMedSci, Head of the Department of Primary Care & Public Health at Imperial College London, said:

“The government’s decision to abolish NHS England and integrate its functions into the Department of Health and Social Care has implications for patients, NHS England, and staff. Patients could benefit from improved care delivery through reduced bureaucracy and redirected resources to frontline clinical services, though there is a risk of temporary disruption that will require careful management. NHS staff may face uncertainty around job security and morale issues during restructuring, but increased local autonomy may empower leaders to innovate and respond more effectively to local health needs. Efficiency savings are expected through reduced administrative duplication and significant workforce reductions, although essential expertise and organisational memory must be preserved. Throughout the transition, maintaining uninterrupted essential operational functions will be critical.”

Prof Dame Til Wykes FMedSci, Head of School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences at King’s College London, said:

“The problems within the NHS are mostly due to lack of funding, not management. The last CEO, Amanda Pritchard, was quietly solving the difficulties to produce a reduction in waiting lists. With the demise of NHS England, the government may regret having the complete responsibility for all issues that arise – there will be no-one to blame except themselves.

“If scrapping NHS England means more involvement of the private-for-profit sector, then the health services are in for a difficult time – taking away services from the NHS makes the NHS less efficient and cost more to run.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx29lrl826rt

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