Department of Health to axe 650 jobs in bid to reduce costs

By The Press Association5th February 2016News EnglandGovernment / Politics, Jobs, News England, NHS

The Department of Health has announced it will cut around 650 jobs to reduce its running costs.

Non-senior staff numbers will be slashed from 1,800 to between 1,200 and 1,300 by April 2017 in a bid to decrease its running costs by 30% in the next five years.

It will also merge employees from the three London offices to premises at 39 Victoria Street.

Permanent Secretary Una O’Brien said: “The Department of Health has an important role leading the health and care system in England to help people live better for longer.

“It is only right that the Department of Health should take its fair share of the efficiency savings.

“Consolidating our estate onto fewer sites and reducing staff numbers will enable us to deliver efficiencies and provide the most effective service to the country.”

A Department of Health spokesman said: “The priorities for the new Parliament are clear and the spending review has confirmed financial expectations, the Department of Health will begin a new programme of modernisation, starting now.”