The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 271 No 7274 p636
8 November 2003

This article
Reprint
Photocopy

News summary

One-third of jobs to go in Department of Health restructuring

Staffing levels at the Department of Health are to be cut by over a third by October 2004. Half of the reduction of 1,400 posts will be achieved by job losses, with the other half being transferred to other bodies in the National Health Service.

Secretary of State for Health Dr John Reid told the House of Commons Health Select Committee last week that the NHS, employing over one million staff in England, could not and should not be run from Whitehall. “Politicians and civil servants should focus on strategic issues rather than the day-to-day management of the NHS,” he said. “The process of devolving power to the front-line has to start from the top. We cannot tell others to act efficiently if we are not prepared to do so ourselves, so we have to lead by example from the centre.”

Dr Reid also said that staff in organisations run at arms-length from the DoH would be cut. Strategic health authorities and primary care trusts are to be urged to examine their staffing levels closely.