Standing before a packed audience at Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare UK’s Hull campus on 13 March, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that NHS England would be abolished.

This announcement forms part of a radical plan by the Labour government and will, according to the prime minister, shift taxpayers’ money where it is desperately needed within the health service. Keir said the move would result in “less bureaucracy… with more money for nurses” and an NHS refocused on “cutting waiting times at your hospital”.

On the same day, health secretary Wes Streeting told the House of Commons that, over the next two years, NHS England would become part of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). Sir James Mackey will be taking over as transition CEO of NHS England.

The SoR’s response to the merger was swift. “In the past, the Society of Radiographers has engaged positively with NHS England,” said society CEO Richard Evans. “We hope that the government will preserve the productive elements of NHS England, and not throw the good out with the bad.

“Much of the very best and most impactful work that has been done by NHS England has been done by healthcare professionals that have developed their careers to work at a policy and advisory level. This includes radiographers.

“The news that these jobs may now be at risk must be devastating. The SoR is committed to supporting our members affected by the news and the changes that will be proposed in the coming weeks and months.”

Upon learning of the plans, the SoR contacted all members working in NHS England, inviting them to meet on 18 March. The purpose of the meeting was to acknowledge members who work in NHS England and to assure them of the SoR’s support. Attendees were also encouraged to talk openly about the merger and express any worries or concerns. This was the first of several meetings the SoR intends to hold on the matter.

What have Keir Starmer, Wes Streeting and the DHSC said?

Comparing statements from Keir Starmer, Wes Streeting and the DHSC, common threads emerge. One of the most prevalent is the ending of a system where two organisations – NHS England and the DHSC – effectively do the same job. This is Labour’s main argument when it comes to scrapping NHS England. “The reform the prime minister is setting out today will mean fewer checkers and more doers,” Wes said on 13 March. “It will cut through the complex web of bureaucracy and devolve more resources and responsibility to the frontline to deliver better value for taxpayers’ money and a better service for patients.”

This, he continued, will bolster the NHS into delivering the three goals set out in the Change NHS 10-Year Health Plan – moving care from hospitals to communities, bettering the use of technology and preventing sickness. These will “make the service fit for the future”.

Keir appealed to taxpayers’ best interests, highlighting a better use of taxpayer money through the split. “I don’t see why… a decision about £200bn of taxpayer money on something as fundamental to our security as the NHS should be taken by an arm’s length body, NHS England. And I can’t in all honesty explain to the British people why we should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy.

“That money could and should be spent on nurses, doctors, operations and GP appointments.”

Similarly, the DHSC 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”.

“By stripping back layers of red tape and bureaucracy, more resources will be put back into the frontline rather than being spent on unnecessary admin,” the department stated.

Radiography as a crucial profession

Concerns have also been raised about the awareness of radiography as a crucial profession within the NHS, when doctors and nurses are usually presented as the main service providers when the NHS is in the spotlight. “When we hear from politicians, they make it sound like the service is comprised of doctors and nurses,” says Charlotte. “However, we know there are many more professionals working within the service.

“As one of those professions – that is not a doctor, that is not a nurse – we’ve got to continue to elevate the profession and what we can offer as a profession, which is delivering improved and enhanced care for patients.

“We are concerned that there is a risk that the focus within the new structure will be on doctors and nurses in the DHSC, when really excellent progress has been made in raising the profile and work of the entire multi-professional workforce.”

Charlotte adds that while radiographers carry out 24/7 care across diagnostics and radiotherapy, the profession can indeed do more – but only if it has sufficient resources across equipment, education and professional development.

When it comes to the abolition of NHS England – and the controversial merging of the organisation with the DHSC – there are a number of concerns. For the health service as a whole, this mainly hinges on the 10,000 jobs on the line.

Each NHS profession has its own, specific worries. As we’ve learned, for radiographers, concerns have arisen around expert resources and prioritising radiography as a profession. Radiographers are critical to how the NHS functions – nine in 10 NHS patients will see a radiographer at some point during their treatment. The society has concerns about the effect the abolition of NHS England might have on the radiography workforce and SoR members working within the organisation. However, the government is clear on the need to remove bureaucracy and erase a two-layered structure to drive much-needed funds back to crucial sectors, such as employee retention and ever-growing waiting lists.

With time ticking on the two-year transition process, the SoR is committed to supporting members through this uncertain transition.

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