Departmental Staff (Hansard, 19 December 2003)

§ Mr. Burstow
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 10 December,Official Report, columns 502–3W, on departmental staff, (1) if he will list the job titles of each member of staff in the Health and Social Care Delivery Group; [144952]
(2) if he will list the job titles of each member of staff in the Health and Social Care Standards and Quality Business Group; [144953]
(3) if he will list the job titles of each member of staff in the Strategy and Business Development Group. [144954]

§ Ms Rosie Winterton
The Department is currently undergoing an extensive change programme. The basic framework has been agreed and was detailed in my previous answer. Job titles and details of the structure are subject to confirmation by group directors.

§ Mr. Burstow
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 10 December, Official Report, columns 502–3W, on departmental staff, what the activities are of each business group. [144955]

§ Ms Rosie Winterton
The activities of the Department's three business groups are as followsDelivery—responsible for supporting the delivery of the targets set out in the NHS Plan. These include reducing waiting times, increasing choice for National Health Service patients, securing resources for NHS and local government organisations, ensuring the NHS has the capacity to deliver services to patients, and integrating NHS information technology systems to deliver modernised patient services. 185W Standards and Quality—responsible for the majority of our policy-making responsibilities, ranging from leading-edge scientific developments and medical innovations, such as stem cell research, to lifestyle issues such as obesity. The group will set standards and define quality in health and social care services, maintain and promote health and well being, ensure safety of patients and service users, and deliver some of the Government's key programmes, such as tackling coronary heart disease and cancer. Strategy and Business Development—responsible for important corporate services (such as communications, corporate human resources and information technology), ensuring the Department is run effectively and efficiently. The group also leads important programmes and policies (such as system reform, equality, medicine and pharmacy, user experience and involvement and professional leadership).
The new structure of the Department is as follows:
Department of Health Mangement Boards Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive—Sir Nigel Crisp John Bacon, Sir Liam Donaldson, Hugh Taylor, Sian Jarvis, Sarah Mullally, Richard Douglas, Directory of Strategy
Health and Social Care Standards and Quality Group Director—Sir Liam Donaldson 804 posts Health Protection, International Health and Scientific Development Research and Development Quality and Standards Health Improvement Care Services Regional Public Health Group Business Team
Strategy and Business Development Group Director—Hugh Taylor 815 posts
Group Business Team
Corporate Management and Development Hugh Taylor Corporate Human Resources Information Services Customer Services Medicines Pharmacy and Industry Secretariat
User Experience and Involvement Sarah Mullally Improving Patient Experience Programme The Professions
Communications Sian Jarvis Media Centre Campaign Management Strategy Policy Communications Programmes and Planning
Strategy Strategy Unit Corporate Analytical Centre Customer Intelligence System and Policy Development
Health and Social Care Services Delivery Group Director—John Bacon 186W 626 posts Access Finance and Investment Workforce Information Systems and National Programme Delivery Programmes and Performance Group Business Team

§ Mr. Burstow
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rationale was for reducing the number of posts in his Department by 1,400; and from which policy areas the posts will be taken. [145024]

§ Ms Rosie Winterton
We recognised that the Department must change to reflect recent changes in the national health service and social care. It was clear that, with the Government's focus on shifting power to the frontline and the formation of many independent bodies, the Department's role and functions would reduce. We decided a reduction of at least a third was necessary to reflect our new role in providing strategic direction and leadership to the NHS and social care.
The radical Change Programme will reduce the size of the core Department by 1,400—from over 3,600 posts to 2,200—by October 2004. This represents a 38 per cent. reduction at the centre. Half of those posts will not be replaced and will be achieved by efficiency savings, while the rest of the reduction will result from transferring posts to other national bodies, which are also the subject of review.
We have indicated our intention to maintain the current proportion of Departmental staff in Leeds and London. The final numbers at each location are yet to be finalised. We estimate that most of the reductions will be through natural turnover or early retirements. A voluntary scheme has already been launched for those over 50. The Department has had a "vacancy freeze" in place for the last six months, to ensure staff are given the best opportunities to seek alternative posts, and we are actively monitoring turnover. The Department is using professional support to help those staff affected by the changes.