NHS England has today announced changes to its leadership team, with three leading board members taking the decision to stand down at the end of March.
Chief Financial Officer Julian Kelly, NHS Chief Operating Officer Emily Lawson and Chief Delivery Officer and National Director for Vaccination and Screening Steve Russell have today informed colleagues that they will leave their roles in the coming weeks.
In a message to all staff today, NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said that as part of the upcoming changes to the size and function of the centre, they have decided that now is the right time to step down.
Julian Kelly joined NHS England in 2019 as Chief Financial Officer, having previously been Director General of Public Spending and Finance at the Treasury and Director General Nuclear at the Ministry of Defence. As well as his role as Deputy Chief Executive, Julian has personally driven significant productivity improvements in the aftermath of the pandemic – with acute productivity now increasing by 2.4% year on year – as well as delivering major efficiencies, with the NHS currently on track to surpass the £7 billion of savings delivered last year.
Emily Lawson joined NHS England in 2017 – she went on to lead the hugely successful NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme, which protected millions of people and saved thousands of lives. Emily was seconded to lead Number 10’s Delivery Unit before returning in October 2021 to lead the booster vaccine rollout and later becoming NHS Chief Operating Officer, working closely with regional and frontline teams to manage pressures.
Chief Delivery Officer and National Director for Vaccinations and Screening, Steve Russell joined NHS England in 2022 to lead the vaccination programmes – and helped drive the roll-out of the first ever jab against RSV, one of the main causes of winter illness as well as leading work to modernise screening programmes and recover uptake. He also led the NHS England merger with NHS Digital and Health Education England, reducing headcount by a third which has already saved £500 million to reinvest in patient care. Prior to joining NHS England, Steve was Chief Executive at a Trust in Harrogate, and NHS Improvement’s Regional Director for London.
As part of the need to make best possible use of taxpayers’ money to support frontline services, the size of NHS England will be radically reduced and could see the size of the centre decrease by around half.
Sir James Mackey, who will begin his new role at the start of April, will set up a transition team within NHS England to lead the radical reduction and reshaping of the centre with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Amanda Pritchard, NHS Chief Executive said: “It has been a privilege to work alongside Julian, Steve and Emily – they have made a huge contribution to the NHS and the country as a whole and have been an enormous source of support for me personally.
“There is no doubt the last few years have been the most difficult in NHS history, and the continued improvements to health service performance and productivity would not have been possible without their invaluable experience, skill and dedication.
“Not only have they expertly guided the NHS through the shock of and response to the pandemic – but also helped turn the corner in the recovery period.
“While now is the right moment for them to move on, I know they will be missed by their colleagues – not only for their professional brilliance, but their commitment to delivering the best for patients. I want to thank them all for their enormous contribution and wish them the very best in the future.”
Julian Kelly, Chief Financial Officer said: “It has been an enormous privilege to be part of the senior leadership of the NHS through the last six years as we have navigated Covid and the path to recovery. I am incredibly proud to have worked with teams at NHS England as well as with leaders and finance teams across the NHS.
“The joy has been to see the work of frontline staff, often in challenging circumstances and to know what staff behind the scenes are doing to support those providing frontline care.
“Although many things are not yet as we would want, I believe we have sown the seeds of recovery and are seeing the first fruits emerge – including in recovering productivity.
“I wish Jim and his team great success as they lead the next stage.”
Emily Lawson, NHS Chief Operating Officer, said: “From leading the covid vaccination rollout to supporting the recovery of improved NHS performance post-covid I have been privileged to work at NHS England. Working with such a committed group of people who are making a difference for patients every day has been an honour.
“The opportunity to lead the NHS covid vaccination programme – the biggest, most accurate, and most successful in our history – protecting the nation at speed and getting the country back on its feet, working with tens of thousands of NHS staff, community leaders, local and national government teams, and volunteers, was the best thing I have done in my career.
“The vaccination programme wasn’t just a one off. The lessons we learned from it – and from other parts of the covid response – provide a blueprint for a sustainable model for the future of NHS as it delivers the three shifts needed as part of the 10 year health plan. I know that the talented teams I leave behind will do an incredible job of continuing to deliver on driving insight from data, on engagement with communities, and innovating in how we improve services for patients every day, so that the NHS is fit for future generations.”
Steve Russell, Chief Delivery Officer and National Director for Vaccination and Screening, NHS England said: “I have worked in the NHS for over 27 years and while the last few of those have been some of the toughest I am very proud of everything that my incredible teams have achieved.
“It has been a privilege to lead work that has such a significant impact on patients and the public including some of our most deprived communities through successful vaccination campaigns to rolling out the first ever RSV and Mpox vaccination programmes as well as recovering and modernising screening services. I’m proud of the work we have done with teams in parts of the organisation that are less seen, whether our corporate services or our work on ADHD and sexual safety.
“Working in the NHS is an honour and I leave behind a brilliant, dedicated group of colleagues, who I will miss. I hope to continue to serve patients and the public in future roles.”
Sir James Mackey, said: “I would like to thank Julian, Emily and Steve for their service and dedication during their years at NHS England – they have all worked incredibly hard and led the NHS through a hugely difficult period – from the challenges of Covid and unprecedented strikes – they have expertly steered the wider system through major disruption.
“I have personally enjoyed working with Julian, Emily and Steve and wish them well in their next steps.
“We know that today’s news is unsettling for our staff, and we have significant challenges and changes ahead. We aim to have a transition team in place to start on the 1st April 2025 to help lead us through this period.”
Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care: “I’d like to put on record my thanks to Julian, Emily and Steve for their dedication as public servants, and their work in particular helping steer the NHS through the pandemic.
“I’ve enjoyed working with each of them over the last 8 months and I’ve been impressed by their skill and focus on delivering improvement for patients and staff.
“We are entering a period of critical transformation for our NHS. With a stronger relationship between the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England, we will work together with the speed and urgency needed to meet the scale of the challenge.”
Richard Meddings, NHS England Chair said: “Losing the combined wealth of experience, skill and dedication from Emily, Julian and Steve is an enormous loss for NHS England.
“Driving forward productivity increases, performance improvements and introducing a range of reforms is no easy task and they have all achieved that and more in the toughest of circumstances.
“What they have done for the NHS and our patients is remarkable and I know that they will continue to be hugely successful in whatever they choose to do next.”
