NHS Confederation responds to the appointment of Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Responding to the appointment of the Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP as the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor, said:

“On behalf of our members, we offer our congratulations to Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP as he takes on the role of Secretary of State for Health and Social care.
 
“Mr Barclay is no stranger to the many challenges facing the NHS but in the short time that he has been away, these issues have intensified significantly. There are now over 132,000 vacancies across the NHS, the waiting list for elective treatment stands at over 7 million people in England, and emergency care services are running incredibly hot all of which mean patients are not getting the care they need in a timely manner. 
 
“Winter looks set to the toughest yet and Mr Barclay will be the health secretary who will be steering the ship on behalf of the largest employer in the country. How he oversees the restructure of NHS England, which will include how this can support the 42 integrated care systems to deliver for their local communities, as well as manage the increasing likelihood of industrial action from the frontline could be his defining moment in the role and so, we encourage him to engage constructively in these conversations.
 
“When Mr Barclay was last in charge, he called for a reduction in the overall number of performance targets across the health service and pushed for local health leaders to be allowed to lead and shape the care even more for the communities they serve. With finances stretched even more given rising inflation and cost of living pressures, this will be more important than ever as we need to be realistic about what the NHS can deliver with the staff and resources made available.
 
“As the government no doubt intends to identify where further savings can be made, Mr Barclay would do well to remember that he is taking on one of the most efficient healthcare systems in the world where management costs are considerably lower than in Western counterparts. These managers make a vital contribution to the safe and efficient running of patient services and so, to scale this back would be at best a false economy and at worse, it will damage the NHS further.
 
“We look forward to engaging with Mr Barclay in his new role once again.”