NHS England Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard will leave her role at the end of March, it has been announced.
Pritchard—who has come in for criticism from MPs in recent months—said it had been “an enormous privilege to lead the NHS in England through what has undoubtedly been the most difficult period in its history.”
NHS England said that, having discussed everything with Health Secretary Wes Streeting in recent months—and now that the NHS has “turned a corner”—Pritchard had “decided now is the right time to stand down.”
Sir James Mackey, who is the national director of elective recovery for the health service, will be taking over as interim NHS chief executive.
Pritchard has come under intense scrutiny, with MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee saying earlier this month they were disappointed and frustrated by the “lengthy and diffuse answers” she and other officials gave them under questioning.
Last week, she admitted “we’re not all brilliant performers at committee hearings” as she was challenged on the issue.
Speaking to “BBC Breakfast,” Pritchard was asked whether she was the right person to lead the health service.
Pritchard said: “We are far from complacent. I mean, particularly they were talking to us about productivity, and spending public money wisely is an absolute priority for us …
“Equally, I think I’ll be honest enough to say we’re not all brilliant performers at committee hearings, but it’s absolutely right that we are scrutinised by Parliament.”
MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said in January that NHS England leaders and Department of Health officials were complacent and “out of ideas” when it came to transforming the health service for patients.
The PAC said that, while the government’s ambition for the NHS represents a “golden opportunity,” NHS England and the Department of Health were not ready to prioritise the shifts needed, instead arguing they were “difficult” and should take place slowly.
Pritchard became head of the health service in 2021—the first time the post has been held by a woman—after previously being its chief operating officer.
She 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’s NHS Foundation Trust in London.
She was also deputy chief executive at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust.
Pritchard, who is married with three children, studied modern history at St. Anne’s College, Oxford.
In a statement on Tuesday, she said: “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 is 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.”
She added: “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.”
Streeting 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 during 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 for Health and Social Care and NHS England.”
