What the abolishment of NHS England means for BHTA members

Last Updated on 14/03/2025 by Sarah Sarsby

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that NHS England (NHSE) will be formally abolished.

“I’m bringing management of the NHS back into democratic control, by abolishing the arms-length body NHS England,” Keir Starmer said during his speech yesterday about reforms to the civil service and the way the UK Government works.

The Prime Minister said the decision to abolish NHSE will avoid excessive duplication and inefficiencies between NHSE and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

It is a move designed to “cut bureaucracy across the state”, “focus government on the priorities of working people”, and “shift money to the frontline”, according to Keir Starmer.

“That will put the NHS back at the heart of government where it belongs”, the Prime Minister remarked.

This major reform also claims to free up capacity and deliver savings of hundreds of millions of pounds a year.

NHSE leads the National Health Service (NHS) in England. NHSE is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the DHSC. The organisation was created in 2012 by the then Conservative Government to handle day-to-day running as part of a reorganisation of the NHS.

The government says that work will begin immediately to return many of NHSE’s current functions to DHSC. Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said that NHSE will be brought into the DHSC entirely over the next two years.

Importantly, DHSC says that it will also realise the untapped potential of the NHS as a single payer system, using its centralised model to procure cutting-edge technology more rapidly, get a better deal for taxpayers on procurement, and work more closely with the life sciences sector to develop the treatments of the future.

The abolishment of NHSE also promises to give more power and autonomy to local leaders and systems so they are given the tools and are trusted to deliver health services for the local communities they serve with more freedom to tailor provision to meet local needs.

For BHTA members, many of whom provide essential healthcare equipment and assistive technologies to the NHS and local authorities, this promise of less bureaucracy and more rapid deployment of cutting-edge technology through a more centralised procurement model should come as welcome news. Although, it is not yet clear how the abolishment of NHSE will affect NHS Supply Chain and its procurement activities. It leads to questions about the broader NHS infrastructure as well.

David Stockdale, Chief Executive of the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA), commented on the news: “In theory, the idea of abolishing NHS England to reduce duplication across NHSE and DHSC and speed up procurement of cutting-edge technology is great news.

“We’ve heard from members many times that the procurement process across the NHS is fragmented, inconsistent, and unnecessarily complicated.

“In practice, we hope that this major change leads to our members not having to re-submit the same details every time they apply for an NHS contract, local NHS systems selecting innovative and value-adding healthcare products over simply the lowest price, and a consistent, straightforward procurement process across England.

“Our upcoming conference is a great chance for BHTA members and non-members alike to hear directly from senior leaders at NHS Supply Chain who will be able to shed some light on this major reform. Conference tickets can be purchased here.”