Keir Starmer has just scrapped NHS England – but what does that mean and how will it impact you? Here’s what you need to know. NHS England is known as a “quango”, meaning it is an non-departmental public body which operates independently of government.

The UK government has announced the abolition of NHS England, phased over two years. In practice, this will involve merging some functions and staff from NHS England into the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC). As part of the change, the government has stated that it expects to reduce duplication and save hundreds of millions of pounds.

The transition will be overseen by interim CEO Sir James Mackey and incoming NHS England chair Dr Penny Dash, and Downing Street has said it is expected to take around two years.