NHS to cut quangos
The Secretary of State for Health, John Reid, has launched a review of all NHS and social care quangos in a bid to reduce their collective workforce of 19,000 (our Lobby correspondent writes).
The scrutiny will examine their roles, efficiency and reducing demands
on
frontline services, a Department of Health spokeswoman said. She confirmed
that the review includes the Prescription Pricing Authority, the Medicines
and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Counter Fraud Management
Service and the Family Health Services Appeals Authority.
The NHS chief executive, Sir Nigel Crisp, is to provide a progress report
on the review by April 2004.
Dr Reid signalled the review in October when he announced plans to reduce
Departmental core jobs by 1,400 posts by October 2004. He told the House
of Commons Health Select Committee: “As well as reducing the numbers
at the centre, I believe we need also to reduce the numbers of people
working in arm’s length bodies. We will be looking harder at all
of the health and social care bodies at a national level.”
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