NHS England Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard has announced that she is stepping down from her role.
Pritchard was appointed in 2021 and steered the health service through the end of the pandemic.
It appears that recent grillings at two Parliamentary Select Committees contributed to her decision. They questioned whether she possessed the drive to deliver the fundamental changes set to be at the heart of the forthcoming NHS 10-Year Health Plan.
In her leaving statement, she also acknowledged that, given the scale of the upcoming changes, the NHS would be better served with fresh leadership.
It is believed the Government would like to bring NHS England closer to DHSC in order to better facilitate those changes, including the implementing the ‘three shifts’.
From April, Sir James Mackey, Chief Executive of Newcastle Hospitals, will lead the health service on an interim basis until a successor is sourced. Until then, he will work closely with Ms Pritchard.
