THE WORLD’s biggest quango – NHS England – will be abolished in a bid to cut red tape and “free up” cash for doctors and nurses, Sir Keir Starmer has announced.
The PM said the move will put the NHS “back at the heart of Government where it belongs”.
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His comments came as he delivered a speech in Yorkshire on turning the “weak” British state into an “active government”.
NHS England is the world’s biggest quango – an unelected body in charge of managing England’s health service.
Set up in 2013, it controls a whopping £160 billion-a-year budget, overseeing hospitals, GPs, and healthcare across the country.
Unveiling the move, the PM said: “In Government there was a clear moment when the Tories crossed the Rubicon, it was early, and it was decisive and it sent a signal across Whitehall that was never undone.
“So today I’m going to reverse it because 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, NHS England.
“And I can’t in all honesty explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy.
“That money could and should be spent on nurses, doctors, GP appointments. So today I can announce we’re going to cut bureaucracy across the state… I’m bringing management of the NHS back under democratic control by abolishing the arms-length body NHS England. That will put the NHS at the heart of government where it belongs.”
