The NHS’s top doctor in England, who played a key role in advising ministers and the public during the Covid pandemic, will stand down this summer.
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, will have spent seven and a half years in post by the time he retires in July.
He is thought to have appeared at more of the pandemic-era daily press conferences than any other NHS or medical leader.
The 64-year-old’s departure follows last week’s resignation of Amanda Pritchard, NHS England’s chief executive, amid a radical reshaping of its relationship with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Her successor, Sir Jim Mackey, started work this week working alongside Pritchard before assuming full control of the organisation at the start of April. Mackey is expected to initiate changes to the makeup of NHS England’s senior leadership team shortly and also oversee its shift to working much more closely with the DHSC and shrinking its 13,000-strong workforce.
Announcing his departure, Powis said: “My time in post has been dominated by the pandemic and its ongoing impact. I will for ever 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.”
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said: “Steve has provided outstanding clinical leadership to the NHS over the last eight years, including during the biggest health emergency our country has faced in modern history. His knowledge, professionalism, and guidance helped the NHS rise to the challenges created by the pandemic.
“I would like to thank Steve, not only for his pivotal role in the Covid vaccine rollout, but for all his work as medical director, including overseeing the team’s work in the creation of the national patient safety strategy.”
Claire Fuller, a GP who undertook a review of primary care services for NHS England published in 2022, is the favourite to succeed Powis, sources say. Dr Vin Diwakar, a paediatrician and the organisation’s national director of transformation, and Stella Vig, a surgeon who is its joint national director for planned care, are also seen as contenders.
Source: www.theguardian.com