The government last weekend announced the abolition of NHS England which has held responsibility for overseeing healthcare services, including GP Surgeries and hospitals etc throughout the country. Said to be the world’s biggest quango, NHS England also has responsibility for ensuring the needs of communities are met and that the NHS delivers a good standard of patient care. Removing it is a bold move that Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has stated will lead to “hundreds of millions” in savings ensuring that the money is not wasted on bureaucracy

As a partner at JMW Solicitors dealing with NHS negligence cases, I believe any redirection of money to frontline services and patient care has to be a positive step but as with many policy decisions, the devil will be in the detail and implementation will no doubt be the key. The money diverted away from NHS England could be used directly in hospitals and to improve patient care and commentators have stated that it could make the system more flexible.

However, opponents of the abolition say that it could result in inequality in healthcare that is dependent upon local resources and priorities leading to a postcode lottery. Further, without a central body there is the risk that local organisations may adopt their own strategies which may well lead to more paperwork and less efficiency.

Having represented countless patents who have been harmed by poor NHS care I am hopeful that the potential benefits to patient care and safety are realised. There are so many challenges facing the NHS that will need strong action to address, so it is promising that the government is not holding back from that. Maternity services and cancer care, to name just two areas, are in desperate need of additional funding that they may now receive as a result of this. Only time will tell, and no doubt further communications will follow from the Department of Health and Social Care over the coming weeks.