Our response to news that NHS England will be abolished

Today the Prime Minister announced that NHS England, the management body which leads the NHS in England, will be abolished.

Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive of Rethink Mental Illness, said:

“The prime minister’s decision to abolish NHS England marks a seismic shift in how our health service is run. Clearly it is a very difficult day for NHS England staff and there will be consequences that will be felt across the entire system. Given the move will bring the NHS in England under direct political control, there is now a clear obligation at the highest levels of government to demonstrate how it will make mental health a priority. The rising tide of mental ill-health across the country means that mental health must have the same focus and attention as physical health, as was committed to in the government’s manifesto. Priorities for the reformed system must include bringing down lengthy waits for treatment, ensuring mental health receives an equivalent share of spending to physical health, and putting mental health front and centre of the upcoming NHS Ten Year Plan, including in the government’s ambitions for neighbourhood health services.”