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

The 'bonfire of bureaucrats' is focused on removing duplication across the organisations after their workforces swelled during the pandemic.

Health secretary Wes Streeting is also looking for to tighten his control over the NHS, deliver better value for and free-up cash for the frontline.

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

The current leaders to sign up with the exodus are Julian Kelly, the chief financial officer, Emily Lawson, the chief running officer, and Steve Russell, the chief delivery officer and national director for vaccination and screening.

NHS England is the nationwide quango entrusted with managing the day to day running of the health service and its long-lasting strategy.

It was developed by the Tories in 2013 to provide it higher political self-reliance however Mr Streeting is eager to gain back tighter control from within his Department.

NHS England stated in a statement: 'As part of the need to make finest possible usage of taxpayers' money to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be significantly lowered and might see the size of the centre decrease by around half.'

The deeper staffing cuts follow a decrease 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 likewise looking for to tighten his control over the NHS, amid 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 (right) are among the most recent managers to join the exodus

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

He said: 'We understand that today's news is unsettling for our staff, and we have substantial obstacles and modifications ahead.'We intend to have a shift group in location to start on the first 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 said I think the time is right for extreme reform of the size and functions of the centre to best support local NHS systems and providers to deliver for clients and drive the government's reform concerns.'

She said Mr Streeting had actually asked Sir Jim and Penny Dash, the incoming NHS England chair, to 'lead this work, providing considerable changes in our relationship with DHSC to eliminate 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 operate in specific assisting steer the NHS through the pandemic.

'I've taken pleasure in dealing with each of them over the last 8 months and I have actually been impressed by their ability and focus on delivering improvement for clients and staff.

'We are entering a duration of critical improvement for our NHS. 'With a stronger relationship in between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will collaborate with the speed and seriousness needed to meet the scale of the difficulty.'

Since June in 2015, NHS England used simply under 15,000 full-time comparable personnel, including permanent, temporary and consultancy. The Department of Health and Social Care had around 9,000, consisting of the UK Health Security Agency. These are both around 30 per cent more than in January 2020.

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

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

UNISON head of health Helga Pile stated: 'Staff will be naturally concerned about this sudden modification of direction.

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

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

'Fixing a broken NHS requires a correct plan, with central bodies resourced and handled successfully so regional services are supported.

'Rushing through cuts brings a risk of producing an even more, more complex mess and could eventually hold the NHS back. That would let down the very individuals who need it most, the clients.'

Matthew Taylor, primary executive of the NHS Confederation, stated: 'These changes are happening at a scale and pace not prepared for to begin with, but provided the big savings that the NHS requires to make this year it makes sense to lower areas of duplication at a nationwide level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.

'NHS England has already provided substantial cost savings and helped to deliver enhancements in productivity, but nationwide bodies and regional NHS leaders know that more is needed this year.

'These modifications represent the greatest improving of the NHS's nationwide architecture in more than a years. It is essential that local NHS organisations and other bodies are involved in this transformation as the instant next steps become clearer, so that a maximum operating model can be developed.

'This must be about doing things differently for the benefit of local neighborhoods as both clients and taxpayers, along with for personnel ahead of yearly study results on Thursday that are yet again expected to reveal the extreme difficulties they deal with.'

Wes Streeting