National medical director retires
The most senior medic in the NHS in England is stepping down.
Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, has today announced he will retire in July.
He joined NHSE in January 2018 and has been telling close colleagues about his planned retirement for months. However, his departure will now come shortly after that of CEO Amanda Pritchard.
Sir Stephen, who is 64, was previously medical director, and later group chief medical officer, at the Royal Free London Foundation Trust from 2006 until 2018.
His time at NHSE included overseeing the peaks of the pandemic in 2020-21, then attempts to recover. Previously, Sir Stephen led a review of clinical standards. It brought changes to some of the service’s national targets but other proposals, including overhauling A&E targets, were never implemented.
He said in a statement: “It has been an immense privilege to serve as national medical director for the NHS and I am incredibly grateful to have been supported by amazing colleagues working across the NHS to boost the experiences of patients…
“My time in post has been dominated by the pandemic and its ongoing impact - I will forever be humbled by the extraordinary work of staff throughout the NHS to the greatest health emergency in a century and I am very proud of the support and advice I was personally able to give to staff, ministers and the public.”
Ms Pritchard said in a note to staff this morning: “I am hugely grateful – as I know our colleagues, friends and families are too – for the vital role Steve played during the pandemic leading the medical profession’s response to a once-in-a-century health emergency.
“Across the country people listened to his calm and reliable advice on dozens of government briefings, and he was alongside Maggie Keenan when she received the first ever covid vaccine, helping to encourage millions of people to get vaccinated.”
Sir Stephen will stay until July and “spend this time ensuring there is an effective handover and focusing on a number of priority areas including the review he is overseeing with chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty into postgraduate training for newly qualified medics, our work to improve stroke care, and ongoing public inquiry work”, she said.
NHSE said nothing has been decided about recruitment of a replacement.
Ms Pritchard last week announced she was stepping down as NHSE chief executive at the end of this month, with Sir Jim Mackey taking over as interim for one to two years.
Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting is planning a reorganisation of the centre of the NHS, which Ms Pritchard said she did not believe she was the right person to deliver.
HSJ understands Mr Streeting wants greater oversight of the running of the NHS, and the NHS’s chief executive to effectively report to the Department of Health and Social Care.
Further senior departures from NHSE are likely in coming months, as are significant job cuts across NHSE and DHSC.
Updated at 11.10am on 6 March once announcement made.