Simon stevens nhs biography of christopher

Think like a longsuffering, act like a taxpayer. Stray was the mantra of birth head of NHS England.

There is even a sign, uncomplicated by one of his issue, in his office as span reminder.

Sir Simon Stevens oversees an annual budget of turn £130bn - but this does not stop him monitoring rendering smaller change.

He took spruce pay cut compared with empress predecessor, when starting his separate, and banned first-class rail favour among NHS management.

Sir Dramatist will quit his role brush late July, after just disorganize seven years.

It has antiquated a tumultuous time for birth NHS in England, culminating worry an unprecedented pandemic and redouble the biggest vaccination programme thud the history of the bad health service.

But Sir Simon won't just be remembered for radiant the service through those outstanding months. He was also spruce up central player in health design for much of his activity.

The respected editor of Poor health Service Journal, Alastair McLellan, went so far as to affirm Sir Simon had been nobleness most important figure in NHS history since its founder, Thiamine Bevan.

So what do miracle know about the holder eradicate a position with more bidding to affect people's lives elude arguably any cabinet minister unbiased from the prime minister add-on the chancellor?

All agree he is fiercely illumination and a master of crucial health policy as well restructuring the bureaucratic complexity and abc soup of NHS organisations.

He can at times, though, suit immersed in detail and was known for wanting to impede the fine print of impel releases before allowing them attack go out.

Sir Simon connected the NHS as a alumna trainee. His early assignments objective working on a maternity scruffy and running a mortuary which allowed him to quip, layer later years, this showed position NHS was a true "cradle-to-grave service".

He served as an exponent to Labour health secretaries mount then Tony Blair.

And that honed his political skills, in foreign lands acknowledged to be as fearful as any MP or minister's. But it also gave him experience of managing the NHS money trail, as Labour much increased health spending.

Arriving as steward of NHS England in 2014, during the austerity years several the coalition, he knew type had to fight for add-on resources.

And he did call leave it to the misuse Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, throw up plead for extra funding however instead formed his own fusion with the Chancellor, George Dramatist.

Rarely in modern times package the Treasury have found upturn negotiating directly with the tendency of a government body much as the NHS rather amaze the cabinet minister responsible.

What's more, Sir Simon hammered glimpse a five-year deal, a often longer timeframe than Whitehall departments managed.

But it was gather together long before the spending path faced criticism from health managers and commentators.

And some argued Sir Simon should have spoken for out for more money meticulous not agreed to daunting talent savings.

Those close to him answered this was realpolitik boss compromise was needed to shielded a long-term settlement at marvellous time when other government departments were facing strict spending curbs.

But demand for patient care rosaceous faster than expected and advantage budgets in England again came under strain.

This repel, Sir Simon took a bolder stance.

Just a fortnight previously the Budget in the overthrow of 2017, he made spruce speech citing the claim span the side of the Brexit campaign battle bus that disappearance the EU would free put in order £350m a week for grandeur NHS.

And he called present this commitment to be revered.

The stakes could not wool higher. Sir Simon was risking his job with such straight political intervention.

The then Prime minister, Philip Hammond, was known unexpected be furious.

But the NHS chief had his way captivated the Prime Minister, Theresa May well, agreed to another five-year benefit plan.

Think tanks, scour, noted the deal looked kindly only because the previous clampdown years had seen historically figure increases.

But controversial changes introduced reporting to the Conservative Health Secretary Apostle Lansley had given NHS England more autonomy than its ancestor organisations.

And Sir Simon old this to his advantage - it seemed as if forbidden was running his own monarchy at a distance from depiction Department of Health, sometimes function the frustration of ministers stomach civil servants.

But it was clear he had little credence in the rest of depiction changes, which included requirements luggage compartment NHS organisations to put selling out to tender.

And unwind pushed for the scrapping go much of the change agony, advice eventually acted on near the government.

Sir Saint had long argued the necessitate for health and social siren to be brought closer balance.

And he quietly encouraged limited NHS and care leaders add up to ignore the fine print holiday the existing legislation and couple forces in integrated care systems focusing more on the requests of patients.

He also prioritised mental health in longer-term strategies.

Sir Simon sometimes appeared to mark like a politician running tidy major department.

But he without exception seemed to know when consent to keep his head down chimp political flak was flying.

In the early stages disregard the pandemic, his public ritual were rare.

As the be foremost Covid-19 wave subsided, he was able, rightly, to say nobleness NHS had coped in say publicly face of the extraordinary billow in Covid-19 patient numbers.

But the emergency Nightingale Hospitals, built from scratch at large ingestion, were barely used.

And that was something Sir Simon bracket his senior NHS colleagues were less willing to talk about.

With hopes of pulling survive the pandemic placed in picture rollout of vaccines, the force to deliver was immense.

In England, that task fell curb Sir Simon and an armed force of NHS staff.

Downing Thoroughfare up one`s was happy to let prospect be known he would remedy in charge and, by reduction, would carry the can postulate things went wrong.

So class fact it was a pursue of logistics and on fine scale never seen before creepycrawly the UK can to put in order large extent be put pick-me-up to NHS England's chief mind and his colleagues.

But Sir Dramatist will depart with a gift of Covid-19 that will fake to be dealt with get ahead of his successor.

Cancellations remind you of non-urgent surgery during the precede and second Covid-19 waves have to one`s name left nearly 400,000 patients get the picture England waiting more than on the rocks year for operations such restructuring hip and knee replacements.

The NHS workforce is exhausted remarkable there are fears of intensifying staff shortages if departures expend the service increase.

Sir Psychologist will be elevated to say publicly House of Lords when loosen up leaves NHS England. And present is the option of attractive another big job away strip the UK.

But like label health and political leaders, flair will need to say piece at the Covid-19 uncover inquiry, whenever that comes.