Exclusive: NHS England restructures its national teams

Matthew Swindells’ directorate, operations and information, has been expanded, giving it the largest brief and overall responsibility for the delivery of the Five Year Forward View. This includes sustainability and transformation plans, accountable care systems, and new care models.

Michael Macdonnell, previously NHS England’s director of strategy, is moving into the new role of director of system transformation, focused on developing integrated health systems and incorporating work on new care models.

Mr Swindells’ directorate will also include primary care, and most of the Forward View improvement programmes including cancer and mental health.

The clinical programmes and primary care, along with specialised commissioning, previously reported to medical director Sir Bruce Keogh, who is stepping down later this year.

Specialised commissioning, meanwhile, is transferring to an expanded group under Paul Baumann, including finance and a new commercial function.

The restructure aims to reflect and support a shift in NHS England from planning and strategy to operational delivery of the Forward View. Mr Swindells’ operational directorate already hosts the large majority of staff in NHS England’s regional and local teams.

The changed medical directorate will focus on development of clinical practice rather than broader service delivery.

Meanwhile Jane Cummings, director of nursing, will have responsibility for the maternity change programme – the only one of the national improvement programmes transferring now to nursing. She has responsibility for NHS workforce issues and the national priority programme for learning disabilities.

The commissioning strategy directorate will be renamed to strategy and innovation.

HSJ understands NHS England will soon begin recruitment for a medical director and a new national director for transformation and operations, following the departure of Karen Wheeler.

A spokesman from NHS England said: “We’re making a small number of internal moves to align teams behind the delivery priorities outlined in the NHS’ Next Steps plan - including cancer, mental health, primary care, urgent and emergency care and new care models.

“This involves simple changes of reporting lines for fewer than 20 people.”

Health minister Jackie Doyle-Price said: “While this report shows that the vast majority of people receive ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ adult social care, it is completely unacceptable that standards in some settings are below those rightly expected by care users and their families.

“That’s why we have introduced tougher inspections of care services, provided an additional £2 billion to the sector and later this year we will be consulting on the future of social care in this country to put it on a stable footing for the future.”