He added: “As we lead the NHS into a new era, I can well understand and support why she’s chosen this moment to step back to make way for new leadership, and that’s the leadership that Jim Mackey will help us transition to as we lead the NHS into what will be a new era, because we’re not just getting the NHS back on its feet and recovering from the worst crisis in its history, you’ve also got to make sure it’s fit for the future.
Speaking at an event at Apple’s headquarters in London, Mr Streeting referred to the Covid pandemic, saying: “Firstly, I’ve loved working with Amanda Pritchard for nearly eight months now, since I became Health and Social Care Secretary – she’s given me wise counsel, she has led the NHS from the front, and not just since we’ve been working together, but actually over the last more than half a decade now, including leading the country out of the worst health emergency in modern times.
In a statement on Tuesday, she said: “I am immensely proud of the NHS response to Covid-19, and how we have delivered steady recovery from the inevitable impacts of the pandemic – with performance in urgent and emergency care, elective and cancer all improving over the past two years, while NHS teams delivered record levels of activity in primary care, community and mental health services, meaning millions more appointments for patients.
NHS England said that, having discussed everything with Mr Streeting in recent months – and now that the NHS has “turned a corner” – Ms Pritchard has “decided now is the right time to stand down”.
Earlier this month, MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee said they were disappointed and frustrated by the “lengthy and diffuse answers” given by Ms Pritchard and other officials to their questions on the future of the health service.
