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NHS England to be ‘abolished’ to cut bureaucracy and duplication
On 13 March – as part of what the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) dubbed ‘a series of reforms to reduce bureaucracy, make savings, and empower NHS staff to deliver better care for patients’ – Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, announced that NHS England will be ‘abolished’ over the next two years, with its functions brought back under the auspices of the Department of Health and Social Care. The Prime Minister (pictured)
said the move would ‘put an end to the duplication resulting from two organisations doing the same job, in a system currently holding staff back from delivering for patients’. ‘Stripping back layers of red tape and bureaucracy’ would – he claimed – mean ‘more resources being put back into the frontline, rather than being spent on unnecessary admin’. In a DHSC press statement, Health
Secretary, Wes Streeting, added: “NHS staff are working flat out, but the current system sets them up to fail. These changes will support the huge
number of capable, innovative, and committed people across the NHS to deliver for patients and taxpayers. We need more doers, and fewer checkers, which is why I’m devolving resources and responsibilities to the NHS frontline” Wes Streeting described the decision to abolish ‘the world’s largest quango’, and bring its functions back under DHSC control, as ‘the final nail in the coffin of the disastrous
Contractor chosen for new Belfast children’s hospital
Graham-BAM Healthcare Partnership (GBHP) has been awarded the contract to deliver a new ‘state-of-the- art’ Children’s Hospital at the Royal Victoria Hospital site in Belfast, following confirmation from Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, that the project has received formal approval. The 10-storey, 52,000 m²
facility will provide 155 beds, 11 theatres, an emergency department, imaging suite, and full outpatients’ department designed to treat up to 45,000 children annually. The hospital will take five
years to complete, and – GBHP says – ‘will set a new benchmark for paediatric healthcare in Northern Ireland’, with 80% of beds located in private en suite rooms, alongside dedicated parent facilities, social spaces, and staff areas.
GBHP said: “With a total
projected investment of £671 m, the hospital represents a major milestone for the region’s healthcare infrastructure.” The construction costs of £389 m will be met through the Department of Health’s capital budget. Jonathan Hall, managing
director at Graham, said: “This project is a major step forward for healthcare in Northern Ireland, and we are honoured to be delivering such a critical facility for future generations. The new hospital will provide state-of-the- art healthcare facilities, ensuring the best possible care for children and their families.”
2012 reorganisation, which led to the longest waiting times, lowest patient satisfaction, and most expensive NHS in history’. He said: “When money is so tight, we cannot justify such a complex bureaucracy, with two organisations doing the same jobs.” Sir James Mackey, who took over
as ‘Transition CEO’ of NHS England from the organisation’s existing CEO, Amanda Pritchard, on 1 April, added: “While unsettling for our staff, today’s
announcement will bring welcome clarity as we focus on tackling the significant challenges ahead, and delivering on the government’s priorities for patients. From managing the COVID pandemic – including overseeing the biggest and most successful vaccine campaign which got the country back on its feet, to introducing the latest, most innovative, new treatments for patients, NHS England has played a vital role in improving the nation’s health. I have always been exceptionally proud to work for the NHS – and our staff in NHS England have much to be proud of. “But,” he continued, “we now need to bring NHS England and DHSC together so we can deliver the biggest bang for our buck for patients, as we look to implement the three big shifts – analogue to digital, sickness to prevention, and hospital to community, and build an NHS fit for the future.” The Department of Health & Social Care said work would ‘begin immediately’ to return many of NHS England’s current functions to it.
Assa Abloy acquires aluminium fenestration supplier
Assa Abloy has acquired Senior Architectural Systems Ltd (SAS), an independent aluminium fenestration system supplier in the UK.
Assa Abloy is an international group with around 61,000 staff and sales close to €12.3 bn, and in the UK is best known for the Yale and Union brands, with its head office and main manufacturing centre in Willenhall. “SAS is an exciting addition to our UK business, and I am delighted to welcome its teams into Assa Abloy,” said Harry Warrender, senior Vice-President and head of Assa Abloy UK & Ireland (pictured). “SAS offers an innovative and high-quality range of window, door, and curtain wall systems, including market-leading
thermally efficient technology. Its portfolio will further extend the Assa Abloy offering into the commercial market in the UK.”
Mark Wadsworth, MD at SAS, added: “We are delighted to join Assa Abloy Group, and to
combine our heritage as one of the leading UK aluminium fenestration system suppliers with Assa Abloy’s international scale and world- leading brand and technology in access solutions. This is an exciting next step in our journey, creating opportunities to enhance our offering through the complementary capabilities of both businesses, and ultimately achieving our growth ambitions.” SAS was established in 1991, and has around 150 staff. Its main office and factory is in Yorkshire.
April 2025 Health Estate Journal 17
Attribution 3.0 Unported CC BY 3.0
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