Written question asked by Lord Pickles (Conservative) on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 5 August 2026. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Tuesday, 25 August 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

NHS England

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs of abolishing NHS England.

Answer: This Government is committed to delivering better value for taxpayers and better services for patients, and the integration of NHS England into the Department is an important step towards achieving these aims. We expect that integrating NHS England into the Department, alongside the restructuring of integrated care boards, could deliver up to £1 billion in annual savings by the end of the Parliament, driven primarily by reductions in headcount against a March 2025 baseline. Expenditure on the transformation will be reported in our Annual Accounts in the normal way.

Secondary information