The streamlining of roles at NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) could see the “size of the centre decrease by around half”, health officials have announced.
The news comes as three more NHS leaders are to leave their posts amid a major shake-up of the top NHS England team.
Chief financial officer, Julian Kelly, chief operating officer Dame Emily Lawson and chief delivery officer Steve Russell will stand down from NHS England at the end of the month.
Last month, NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said she was stepping down at the end of March.
And last week, the organisation’s national medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, announced he would also be departing in the summer.
In a message to NHS staff, health officials said that the latest announcements came as “part of the upcoming changes to the size and function of the centre”.
NHS England will be “radically reduced” and the “size of the centre decrease by around half”, officials said.
Commenting, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “These changes are happening at a scale and pace not anticipated to begin with, but given the huge savings that the NHS needs to make this year it makes sense to reduce areas of duplication at a national level and for the NHS to be led by a leaner centre.
“These changes represent the biggest reshaping of the NHS’s national architecture in more than a decade.”
NHS England said that Sir Jim Mackey, who begins his role as interim chief executive at the start of April, was to set up a “transition team within NHS England to lead the radical reduction and reshaping of the centre with DHSC”.
Helga Pile, head of health at the union Unison, said: “Staff will be understandably concerned about this sudden change of direction.
“The number of redundancies being sought at NHS England has trebled in just a matter of weeks.
“Employees there have already been through the mill with endless rounds of reorganisation. What was already a stressful prospect has now become more like a nightmare.
“Fixing a broken NHS needs a proper plan, with central bodies resourced and managed effectively so local services are supported.
“Rushing through cuts brings a risk of creating a further, more complicated mess and could ultimately hold the NHS back. That would let down the very people who need it most, the patients.”
Ms Pritchard said: “It has been a privilege to work alongside Julian, Steve and Emily – they have made a huge contribution to the NHS and the country as a whole.
“There is no doubt the last few years have been the most difficult in NHS history, and the continued improvements to health service performance and productivity would not have been possible without their invaluable experience, skill and dedication.
“Not only have they expertly guided the NHS through the shock of and response to the pandemic – but also helped turn the corner in the recovery period.
“While now is the right moment for them to move on, I know they will be missed by their colleagues – not only for their professional brilliance, but their commitment to delivering the best for patients.”