Jessica O'ConnorThe Government has announced that around 18,000 administrative jobs will be abolished within the NHS as part of a sweeping reform initiative aimed at redirecting funds back into patient care.
The Government said the reforms are projected to save more than £1bn annually.
The changes were announced by Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting at the annual NHS Providers Conference in Manchester on 11th November 2025.
He confirmed that the reform would see NHSE’s integration into the DHSC within two years and require a 50% reduction in headcount at Integrated Care Boards (ICBs).
These workforce changes come as part of a push to make the NHS more efficient and reduce duplication following a 2012 re-organisation of the service.
According to the announcement, “every £1bn saved in bureaucracy costs is enough to fund an extra 116,000 hip and knee operations.”
Sir Jim Mackey, CEO of NHS England, said: “This is good news for NHS staff and patients – allowing our organisations to move forward and provide greater certainty about the future for all our staff and leaders.”
