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CAMPAIGNERS welcomed the departure of pro-privatisation NHS boss Amanda Pritchard today.
Her decision to quit as chief executive of NHS England follows pressure from House of Commons committees this year as the service faces an overhaul.
Ms Pritchard was accused of complacency and a lack of dynamism after she gave evidence to the public accounts committee on January 29.
She is to be replaced on an interim basis by Sir James Mackey, currently chief executive of Newcastle Hospitals.
Johnbosco Nwogbo, of public ownership campaign We Own It, said: “Last week we called on NHS boss Amanda Pritchard to step down because of her continued support for more private finance in our health service.
“The incoming CEO, James Mackey, must rule out any new private finance contracts as first order of business.
“Our NHS is facing multiple challenges. We need people at the highest level of the organisation and government who do not just care about hitting today’s benchmarks but who want to protect the NHS as the publicly owned health service it needs to remain for future generations.
“You can’t provide world-class healthcare on the cheap, and you can’t rely on the private sector to fill the gaps — it never works.”
He added that “the NHS repairs backlog of £13.8 billion is dwarfed by the £44bn still owed on private finance initiative (PFI) contracts.
“We are calling on James Mackey to set the tone of his new tenure by ruling out any new PFI contracts and pledging to work with patients to push government to deliver the investment needed to build a fully funded, publicly run NHS that is free at the point of need and free from profiteering.”
Ms Pritchard said it had been a “hugely difficult” decision stand down.
“It has been an enormous privilege to lead the NHS in England through what has undoubtedly been the most difficult period in its history.”
She took up the post in 2021 during the Covid pandemic and was previously NHS England’s chief operating officer, head of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London and an adviser in Tony Blair’s government.
Ms Pritchard noted in her resignation letter that there is due to be radical reform of the size and functions of NHS England that would be best served by new leadership.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has insisted he did not ask her to step down.
