Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the savings generated by reductions in NHS England staffing; and how are those savings being redirected into frontline patient care.

Creating a new joint organisation will streamline decision-making, reduce bureaucracy, and improve accountability. These changes are expected to generate significant efficiencies over time.

The Department’s initial modelling demonstrate that the up-front investment in organisational change will be offset by long-term reductions in staffing and running costs, ensuring the programme delivers value for money and sustainable savings for the taxpayer. Current estimates expect that these changes will save £1 billion a year by the end of this Parliament, which is equivalent to 116,000 hip and knee operations.

The Government is committed to transparency in how these figures are calculated. The methodology underpinning the £1 billion saving estimate will be set out through established mechanisms, including publication of supporting documentation where appropriate. This will ensure that both Parliament and the public are able to scrutinise the basis of the savings. Further detail will be brought forward over time, in line with our commitment to provide clear and timely information.

The Department is committed to transparent, responsible, evidence-based policy making. We will publish proportionate assessments to support reforms. Assessments will be published to enable scrutiny and will be proportionate to the scale of reform.