Scottish Labour MP says ‘similar reform ambition’ needed in Scotland as Starmer scraps NHS England

NHS England is to be abolished in a bid to “cut bureaucracy” and save millions , Sir Keir Starmer has announced, in a move that has led for calls for “similar reforms ambition” in Scotland.

The Prime Minister announced NHS England, which has been called the “world’s largest quango” by the government, would be axed to bring management of the health service “back into democratic control”.

Giving a speech in Hull on Thursday, Sir Keir claimed decisions about billions of pounds of taxpayer policy should not be taken by an “arms-length” body as he vowed to implement sweeping reforms, which the government says will deliver better care for patients.

And Scottish Labour MP Dr Zubir Ahmed, a parliamentary private secretary in the Health Department, claimed similar reforms were needed in Scotland.

Dr Zubir, who still works as a doctor in his Glasgow South West constituency, told The Scotsman he had worked in both systems and “the failings are strikingly similar”.

He said: "Especially command and control strangling innovation in the NHS and more staff doing less. The difference is we are gripping the issue in Westminster while the SNP manage decline in Holyrood.

“I think a similar magnitude of ambition in structural change is required and that's why Scottish Labour is offering with its board's abolition proposal, shrinking the centre and devolving decision making.”

But a Scottish Government spokesperson said there was “no NHS Scotland entity equivalent to NHS England”. “We have 22 health boards in Scotland that are accountable to the Health and Social Care directorate of the Scottish Government,” the spokesperson said.

During his statement, the Prime Minister said he could not “explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy”.

The move is expected to save at least £500m a year and could see half the workforce of NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care axed.

He said: “That money could and should be spent on nurses, doctors, operations, GP appointments. So today, I can announce we’re going to cut bureaucracy … focus government on the priorities of working people, shift money to the frontline.

“So I’m bringing management of the NHS back into democratic control by abolishing the arms-length body, NHS England.”

Dr Zubir Ahmed praised the reforms | Contributed

Answering a question from a cancer patient on how the decision would improve NHS services, Sir Keir said: “Amongst the reasons we are abolishing it is because of the duplication.

“So, if you can believe it, we’ve got a communications team in NHS England, we’ve got a communications team in the health department of government. We’ve got a strategy team in NHS England, a strategy team in the government department. We are duplicating things that could be done once.

“If we strip that out, which is what we are doing today, that then allows us to free up that money to put it where it needs to be, which is the front line.”

NHS England is a public body delivering services with taxpayers’ money, which was set up to support and oversee NHS trusts and wider organisations to deliver healthcare. It has worked with the UK government to set priorities and agree funding for the NHS.

The Prime Minister said the government wanted to push power to frontline workers “and away from the bureaucracy, which often holds them up”.

His comments came during an address in which Sir Keir claimed the British state was “weaker than it’s ever been”, as he pledged sweeping reforms of the civil service.

He said: “At the moment, the state employs more people than we’ve employed for decades, yet look around the country. Do you see good value everywhere? Because I don’t. I actually think it’s weaker than it’s ever been – overstretched, unfocused, trying to do too much, doing it badly, unable to deliver the security that people need.

“So, we don’t want a bigger state, a more intrusive state, an over-expanding state, a state that demands more and more of people as it itself fails to deliver on core purposes. So, we’ve got to change things now.”

After the speech, Downing Street told journalists the process of scrapping NHS England was expected to take two years.

MPs later heard from Health Secretary Wes Streeting on the plans, who said he would change the status quo to ensure the NHS “can once again be there for us when we need it”.

He told the Commons: “Change is hard. There will always be cautious voices warning you to slow down. However broken the status quo is, there will be those who resist any change away from it.

“But we should be in no doubt, we inherited a National Health Service going through the worst crisis in its history. Patients are waiting unacceptable lengths of time for an operation, a GP appointment or an ambulance. This Labour government will never duck the hard yards of reform.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said on abolishing NHS England: “If that’s what they think is needed I have no qualms, not everything needs to go to a quango. But in Labour-run Wales the NHS is worse, so just because it is being brought in by Labour doesn’t mean it will improve things.”

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea warned the UK government must show it had a plan for the NHS.

She said: “Everyone wants more to be spent on frontline services so the sick and injured can be treated sooner. Delays and long waits for operations and appointments have left several million unable to work, with a knock-on effect on economic growth.

“More of a focus and greater investment in the entire NHS team of staff, not just nurses and doctors, would help turn around the fortunes of a floundering NHS. But this announcement will have left NHS England staff reeling. Just days ago they learned their numbers were to be slashed by half, now they discover their employer will cease to exist.”