Key Summary
- Over 200 NHS bodies, including CSUs, will close
- Key roles shift to MHRA and CQC
- PDA offers support to affected staff
Pharmacists could be faced with job losses with the announcement that Commissioning Support Units (CSU) will be closed.
It was also announced that 150 local branches of Healthwatch England will also be closed.
These closures are as a result of prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to abolish NHS England and bring the health service back under ministerial control.
Starmer said the move was aimed at cutting bureaucracy and ensuring that the NHS is overseen by elected politicians rather than an arm’s-length body.
He stated that the change would free up funds for doctors, nurses, and frontline services while reducing red tape to accelerate improvements in the health system.
CSUs, created in April 2013 from former primary care trusts and strategic health authorities under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, are now being closed as part of efforts to reverse that Act.
The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has said it will support its members impacted by this decision.
The PDA will help members via the PDA Member Support Centre which will allow them to gain help regarding their workplace, representation and general wellbeing.
The organization said it was ‘concerned for the general wellbeing of members affected by this announcement’.
In addition to the support and representation available from the PDA, pharmacists should consider the personal support provided by Pharmacist Support, the PDA added.
