Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced NHS England will be abolished to “cut bureaucracy” and bring management of the health service “back into democratic control”.
ITV News Political Correspondent Harry Horton was in Hull where the PM made the surprise announcement.
"I don’t see why decisions about £200 billion of taxpayer money on something as fundamental to our security as the NHS, should be taken by an arms length body," the Prime Minister said.
"I’m bringing management of the NHS back into democratic control by abolishing the arms length body NHS England," the PM revealed.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting told MPs in the House of Commons shortly after the announcement that "today, we are abolishing the biggest quango in the world", calling the move "the biggest decentralisation of power in the history of our national health service."
NHS England is the body that operates separately to the Department for Health and Social Care, and is responsible for delivering healthcare in England. It was formed in 2012 under the coalition government.
The Health Secretary said: "This is the final nail in the coffin of the disastrous 2012 reorganisation, which led to the longest waiting times, lowest patient satisfaction, and most expensive NHS in history.
"When money is so tight, we can’t justify such a complex bureaucracy with two organisations doing the same jobs. We need more doers, and fewer checkers, which is why I’m devolving resources and responsibilities to the NHS frontline."
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