Government announces abolishment of NHS England

14 March 2025 (Last updated: 14 Mar 2025 08:09)

Sir Keir Starmer announced plans to abolish NHS England (NHSE) — the world’s largest government agency, with more than 15,000 staff — and merge its functions with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The Government has said the move is intended to reduce bureaucracy and duplication, while increasing government accountability over the operational performance of the health service in England, describing the move as “bringing the NHS back into democratic control”.

The full process of integrating NHSE’s functions within DHSC is expected to take up to two years and will require primary legislation and Parliamentary scrutiny. However, some roles and functions are anticipated to transition to the DHSC much sooner. A “formal change programme board” or “transition team” comprising DHSC and NHSE officials will oversee the integration of the two organisations.

While the majority of sexual health services are commissioned and delivered via the local authority public health grant, key aspects of sexual health and HIV care – including HIV treatment and care, opportunistic testing and treatment for STIs, emergency department opt-out BBV testing, vaccine delivery, and sexual assault referral centres – currently fall under NHSE’s remit.

BASHH will be seeking to engage closely with decision-makers to understand the impact that these changes will have on the system we operate in and to ensure that the new systems are equipped to deliver effectively to make progress on sexual health and HIV.

Find out more about the government announcement, here.