Keir Starmer said there was “too much duplication going on” between NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care – as thousands of jobs are set to be cut

The Prime Minister has announced NHS England will be abolished to ‘free up money for the frontline’.

The non-departmental public body, which oversees the running of the National Health Service in England, will be brought into the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) as part of the major shake-up.

Keir Starmer said there was “too much duplication going on”, adding: “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 frontline.”

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Any savings would go to doctors, nurses and patient services, the PM said.

He said cash would also be used to cut red tape and speed up improvements in the health service, the Mirror reports.

MPs were told the government was “abolishing the biggest quango in the world” as Health Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed thousands of jobs would be cut.

He revealed he was aiming to reduce NHSE’s overall headcount by half, adding: “The size of NHS England, there are 15,300 staff; in the Department of Health and Social Care 3,300, and across both we’re looking to reduce the overall headcount by 50 per cent”.

Mr Streeting claimed local NHS providers would be “set free” by the changes and said: “By slashing through the layers of red tape and ending the infantilisation of frontline NHS leaders, we will set local NHS providers free to innovate, develop new, productive ways of working and focus on what matters most, delivering better care for patients.”

It’s hoped the changes would be “complete within two years”, Mr Streeting said.

Mr Streeting also emphasised that cutting down duplication would save money for taxpayers.

He said job cuts in NHSE would save the taxpayer “hundreds of millions of pounds”, adding: “Over the next two years, NHS England will be brought into the department entirely.

“These reforms will deliver a much leaner top of the NHS, making significant savings of hundreds of millions of pounds a year.

“That money will flow down to the front line, to cut waiting times faster, and deliver our plan for change.”

Although health experts broadly welcomed the announcement, concerns were raised about the impact on staff.

Thea Stein, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, said: “Today’s news will be devastating for staff at all levels of NHS England, and we must remain mindful of the human cost of this decision.”