This Movers and Shakers roundup focuses solely on departures and appointments at NHS England, following government announcements that NHSE will be brought into the Department of Health and Social Care and lose half of its staff.
Amanda Pritchard announced on 25 February 2025 that she will “stand aside” from the role of chief executive of NHSE at the end of March 2025.
She said: “Having put in place the foundations for a closer working relationship, I believe that the step change now required would be best served by new leadership in NHS England.
“It has been an enormous privilege to lead the NHS in England through what has undoubtedly been the most difficult period in its history.”
Sir Jim Mackey is set to become NHSE’s interim chief executive following Amanda Pritchard’s departure and is expected to remain in post for one to two years. He will take up the role on 1 April 2025 but is already working alongside Pritchard.
An NHS statement, which also came before the NHSE abolition announcement, said Mackey has taken up the post “on a secondment basis, with a remit to radically reshape how NHSE and the Department of Health and Social Care work together”.
Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director at NHSE, announced his retirement this month, with his departure confirmed for July 2025.
He joined NHSE in January 2018 after serving as medical director, and later group chief medical officer, at the Royal Free London Foundation Trust from 2006 until 2018.
NHSE’s chief operating officer, Emily Lawson, recently informed colleagues that she is leaving her role.
She joined NHSE in 2017 and went on to lead the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme. Lawson was also seconded to lead number 10’s delivery unit before returning in October 2021 to lead the booster vaccine rollout.
Steve Russell, chief delivery officer and national director for vaccination and screening at NHSE, has been confirmed to be departing.
He joined NHSE in 2022 to lead the vaccination programmes and helped drive the rollout 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 NHSE merger with NHS Digital and Health Education England, reducing headcount by a third.
Julian Kelly, chief financial officer at NHS England, is also stepping down in a matter of weeks as part of the overhaul announced by Starmer to cut NHSE and bring health under closer government control.
Wes Streeting, health secretary, confirmed that Dr Penny Dash will be the new chair of NHSE, joining on 1 April 2025 on a four-year term.
Dash is currently the chair of the NHS North West London Integrated Care Board and is leading a major review into the regulation of health and social care quality in England.
She will replace Richard Meddings who is due to step down in April 2025.
Julian Kelly, chief financial officer at NHSE, is stepping down at the end of March 2025, after taking up the role in 2019.
His previous roles include director general of public spending and finance at the Treasury and director general nuclear at the Ministry of Defence.
Kelly 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.”