Yesterday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that his Government would be ‘scrapping’ NHS England. We have a few opinions on this issue, there is nuance here.
Firstly, it goes without saying that job losses are an unwelcome outcome of this change and we hope that most will be able to be recruited by other NHS organisations such as Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and NHS Trusts around the UK (not just England). We are sure they have invaluable knowledge and experience that would be valued elsewhere.
Our immediate response was that this could lead to positive change for both patients and staff. For the past decade there have been accusations of there being ‘too many Chiefs not enough Indians’ from troublesome think tanks, the media, and sometimes the staff themselves. We have lost count of the number of times staff have said the NHS doesn’t need more money, it needs reorganisation. In terms of this, the announcement could be seen as a positive step towards change. It certainly seems to be a bold move; whether it pays off is another matter.
The approval rating for Labour’s policies on health stands at 38% in March 2025 (It’s too soon to see how this announcement has impacted that statistic). Successive Governments have tweaked around the edges of NHS reform without success, so maybe now is the right time to try something different – by going back to pre-2012 before NHS England was launched.
As a Community Interest Company that works for the benefit of people living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (M.E./C.F.S.), we have been frustrated with the level of bureaucracy and hurdles that have had to be overcome to even start conversations with the right departments. Now, in 2025, we are bypassing the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England altogether and going direct to the organisations that make the ‘grassroots’ decisions on patient care – ICBs. Case in point, we are steadily making our way around England (and wider UK) with regular meetings with regional healthcare organisations (ICBs) and talking to them direct about our M.E.-Friendly Hospital Charter. We had been unsuccessful in getting even a reply email from NHS England and DHSC sent a generic ‘This is the fabulous work we’ve been doing for the M.E./C.F.S. community, aren’t we great?’ (paraphrasing) email. If they were doing such fabulous work there would be no need for our campaign work, there are many areas in which the M.E./C.F.S. community is being failed by the State and NHS. These failures have kept us very busy, and out of trouble, since 2018.
Of course, this announcement comes with a backdrop of the Assisted Suicide Bill which is currently being debated in Westminster. It has been shocking to see the heavily biased ‘debate’ and we have deep concerns as to the substance of the Bill if it were ever to pass. It is very light on safeguarding and is nothing like the Bill promised in the ‘read through’ at the end of last year. We recommend anyone who still has an X account follows Nikki Da Costa , her bio states ‘Ex Director of Legislative Affairs No10’ and she has had many concerns as to the organisation and substance of the debate. Nikki live tweets during the live debate proceedings and her comments are nuanced and eye-opening in equal measure. In a nutshell, many of the ‘pro Assisted Suicide’ MPs are ignoring the concerns of MPs, VCSEs, medical professionals and other experts, and are voting down amendments that would ensure safeguarding.
This week, the Government’s decision to cut disability benefits is also causing immeasurable concern and distress amongst the disabled and chronically sick, and their representative organisations, in the UK. There seems to be little understanding of how disability benefits or the application process work and trust in Government departments has understandably been eroded.
Now, we are now to believe the Government has patients and their carers’ best interests at heart? As an organisation that fights for social change for vulnerable people, we tend to look at things from the cynical side of life and have concerns. But, we will give them the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.
On the positive side, this should lead to money being saved and that money should trickle to all areas of the NHS that will improve the patient experience. Like we said…..SHOULD. In theory, there will also be less red tape for VCSE organisations to cut through to get improvements in patient care considered and implemented. Less layers of bureaucracy will make decision making and policy implementation quicker as there will be less sign offs required.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement to scrap NHS England is undoubtedly a bold move. While we have reservations and concerns, particularly regarding the job losses and the broader political context, there is hope that this decision could lead to a more efficient NHS. With fewer layers of bureaucracy and a more streamlined decision-making process, there is potential for significant improvements, especially in terms of patient care and the ability for organisations like ours to work more directly with regional healthcare providers. However, whether this reform will deliver on its promises remains to be seen. For now, we remain cautiously optimistic, hoping that the savings generated will indeed be redirected to neglected areas within the NHS, and that the new structure will make it easier to address the needs of vulnerable communities, including those with M.E./C.F.S. At the end of the day, we must continue to hold the government accountable, ensuring that any changes truly serve the best interests of patients, carers, and healthcare workers alike.
This article was originally sent as a newsletter on 13th March 2025.
Sign up for our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss our latest updates and news! Sign up via the link in the footer of our homepage.
