Around 500 NHS Digital staff could be axed as part of the organisation’s restructure, the secretary of state for health and social care has said.
Matt Hancock was asked by the MP for Leeds Central, Hilary Benn, about how many redundancies are planned at the organisation. NHS Digital is headquartered in the northern city.
In a written statement, Hancock confirmed around 500 jobs could be lost as part of the ‘Org2’ redesign.
He said NHS Digital’s restructuring is planned to be delivered in a series of ‘waves’ and is due to be completed by 2020/21 with wave one ‘currently in progress’.
Digital Health News first reported on the redundancies in August 2018 and understood that around 600 NHS Digital staff were told they would need to re-apply for their jobs.
If the 500 figure cited by Hancock proves correct, it would mean only around 100 members of staff who were told to re-apply would be offered roles.
In a statement, Sean Walsh – NHS Digital’s director of regions and professions – said the cuts would come from a mix of “redeployment, natural turnover and suitable alternative employment”.
He added: “It is important to note that we cannot be precise about the exact numbers at this stage because they may change to reflect the outcomes of the proposals for change, as well as external influences which may affect us.
“This is understandably a difficult and challenging time for our hardworking employees and we are taking every possible step to provide them with all the help and support they need.”
3 November 2018 @ 12:27
While I have every sympathy with anyone being made redundant, the world would be a better place if NHS Digital was axed in total. This organisation is completely toxic and exists to do the dirty work of the DHSC – and I do mean DIRTY. This gives a new meaning to “Arm’s Length Body”.
3 November 2018 @ 21:09
lol – that was ALWAY’s the meaning of an arm’s length body, a vehicle to get people to do the jobs that civil servants were unwilling to do – usually on less favourable terms and conditions.
4 November 2018 @ 00:17
NHS Digital does the low down, underhand things that the Government chooses to flatly deny that it is doing, falsely branding NHS Digital as a “safe haven” for patient data, where everything is secure and confidential. NHS Digital has never heard of confidentiality, nor has it ever heard of consent. NHS Mafia would be nearer the mark. The Sicilian Mafia has a history of working in cooperation with Government I believe. Maybe that is the model the DHSC used.
3 November 2018 @ 07:06
More privatisation?
3 November 2018 @ 01:02
This is not totally correct. All NHSD staff have to reapply for their jobs, unless they are at one of the offices closing. Wave 1 covers 600 staff, Wave 2 covers 1000 and Wave 3 the rest.
Also it’s estimated at 500 FTE posts, and over 800 actual headcount. These numbers may be higher or lower by the time the whole process is finished in 18 months.
2 November 2018 @ 23:34
Here we go again ToryCommunistic ways of
crushing the NHS.From 2010 until today the,
Underfunding has now reached £40billion,and they have the brassneck,to say they will have
to put £20billion into the NHS by 2020.By that date the underfunding will be close to £50billion,privatisation will start.Will this country ever wake up to these DEVILS.
2 November 2018 @ 19:40
The interesting thing is that the CEO brought in high paid cronies ahead of this. Now people are being told they might not have a job anymore. There is also no clear structure for how the applicants are being graded a friend tells me. Unfair dismissal anyone
2 November 2018 @ 18:06
No Jennifer that’s not what it means. If there are currently 500 jobs, which are changing and only 100 people are needed for the new jobs, then the 400 who don’t get those jobs get redundancy or job offers else where in the organisation / redeployment.
2 November 2018 @ 17:52
So that means they will not get redundancy money if they are unsuccessful in securing a Job when they reapply?