Amanda Pritchard has today formally notified the NHS England Board of her decision to stand down as Chief Executive at the end of this financial year.
Amanda has been Chief Executive since August 2021 and Chief Operating Officer since 2019, leading the NHS through the most challenging period in its 76-year history.
Having discussed this with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care over recent months – now that the NHS has turned a corner on recovery from the pandemic and the foundations are in place to make the necessary changes to the centre to best support the wider NHS – Amanda has decided that now is the right time to stand down.
Sir James Mackey will be taking over as Transition CEO of NHS England, working closely with Amanda for the next month before formally taking up the post on 1 April.
During Amanda’s time as Chief Executive, the NHS has responded to the Omicron wave of COVID-19, protecting tens of millions of adults in England with a booster vaccine, published the first-ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, and turned the corner on the inevitable impacts of the pandemic – with A&E waiting times, elective and cancer performance, acute sector productivity, and staff survey results all now improving.
Under Amanda’s leadership, NHS England has also reduced its headcount by over a third and already made savings of nearly £500 million to reinvest in frontline care. At the same time, she has overseen reforms in the Health and Care Act 2022, including the replacement of almost 200 Clinical Commissioning Groups with 42 ICBs; major improvements in the NHS’s digital infrastructure, including far more services available through the NHS App and the rollout of virtual wards; and the forging of groundbreaking partnerships to improve care options for patients, including the NHS Genomic Medicine Strategy, the Cancer Vaccine Launchpad, and CAR-T cancer therapies.
Jim will step in on a secondment basis, with a remit to radically reshape how NHS England and DHSC work together. To ensure a smooth transition, he will work closely with Amanda until the end of her time in post.
He is currently the Chief Executive of Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and National Director of Elective Recovery, with demonstrable experience in leadership at a local, regional, and national level.
Jim has previous experience in national leadership within the NHS – notably during his previous tenure as Chief Executive of NHS Improvement.
The first woman in the health service’s history to hold the post of Chief Executive, Amanda began her NHS career as a graduate management trainee in 1997 after studying at Oxford University and has held a variety of other NHS management positions.
Before joining NHS England in 2019, she served as Chief Executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, was previously Deputy Chief Executive at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, and also served as a health team leader in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit.
Amanda Pritchard, NHS Chief Executive, said:
“It has been an enormous privilege to lead the NHS in England through what has undoubtedly been the most difficult period in its history.
“I am immensely proud of the NHS response to COVID-19 and how we have delivered steady recovery from the inevitable impacts of the pandemic – with performance in urgent and emergency care, elective and cancer all improving over the past two years, while NHS teams delivered record levels of activity in primary care, community, and mental health services, meaning millions more appointments for patients.
“We always knew the recovery period after a once-in-a-century pandemic was going to be incredibly challenging, and whilst the timeliness and experience of care are still not good enough for too many people, the NHS has achieved a great deal in the face of historic pressure thanks to a relentless focus on innovation and reform.
“From the rollout of Community Diagnostic Centres and mental health teams in schools to world-leading cancer vaccines and the development of the App, the NHS now feels very different to when I became Chief Executive over three and a half years ago.
“While it has been a hugely difficult decision for me to stand down, I believe now is the right time – with the NHS making continued progress in our recovery and with the foundations firmly in place to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan.
“The NHS is full of extraordinary people who do extraordinary things every day for patients. The achievements I have listed above, and many more, are theirs – and I am confident they will continue to achieve incredible things for patients now and into the future.”
Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said:
“Amanda can be enormously proud of the leadership she has given in the face of the biggest health emergency for our country in modern history, as well as steering NHS England through turbulent political waters and six Secretaries of State in her time as Chief Executive. She has led with integrity and unwavering commitment.
“The start of the next financial year and the publication of the 10-Year Plan for Health will be pivotal moments on the road to reform. We will also require a new relationship between the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England.
“I am delighted that Jim Mackey has agreed to step up to provide new leadership for a new era for the NHS. He knows the NHS inside out, can see how it needs to change, and will work with the speed and urgency we need.”
