Overview
- Official data show nearly 7,000 staff were dismissed in 2024/25, up from about 4,000 two years earlier and the highest since records began in 2011.
- More than half of cases were classed as capability, with other dismissals attributed to misconduct or redundancy under NHS rules.
- Health Secretary Wes Streeting has vowed “no more rewards for failure” and warned managers could be removed if they underperform in new league tables.
- Despite the increase, dismissals equated to under 0.5% of the 1.5 million workforce and 1.8% of leavers, compared with an estimated 2–3% dismissal rate in the private sector.
- Skills for Health estimates replacement costs of roughly £6,500 per dismissed employee, as Policy Exchange backs tougher management and others argue for earlier intervention and better support.