Stevens praises vaccine campaign as he steps down as NHS head to become peer

SIR SIMON STEVENS is to step down as head of the NHS and become a peer, the Government has announced.

After seven years in the job, he will leave his role at the end of July after having overseen the Covid vaccination rollout to all adults.

In a leaving note to staff, Sir Simon paid tribute to their work on an “amazingly successful” vaccination campaign.

He will step down on July 31, the target day for every adult in the country to be offered a first jab.

Sir Simon had intended to leave last year but had agreed to stay on “to see us through the pandemic pressures”.

Boris Johnson said he had “led the NHS with great distinction”, adding: “I want to thank him for his dedicated service throughout – but especially when facing the extraordinary pressures of the past year, and for his huge contribution to our vaccine rollout.”

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said Sir Simon had been “a steadfast and sage leader for our NHS and that has been especially true during this most testing period in NHS history”.

Downing Street said the Queen had been pleased to confer a life peerage on Sir Simon following his decision. He will sit as a cross-bencher, according to an NHS England spokesman.

Sir Simon told staff: “Having agreed last year to stay on to see us through the pandemic pressures, now seems like a good time to hand on the baton. Covid inpatient numbers across England are down by 95 per cent since their January peak. Our amazingly successful NHS vaccination campaign is well on track to have offered every adult their first jab – and everyone aged 50-plus their second booster shot – by the end of July.”

From today, the NHS will invite over40s to come forward for their first jab, with nine in 10 of those 45 and over having received their first vaccination.

Sir Simon said that joining the health service in his early 20s was one of the best decisions he had ever made.

He is understood to have alerted Lord Prior, chairman of NHS England, last summer about his intention to step down but wanted to see through the coronavirus vaccination programme.

Before landing the top post in April 2014, Sir Simon worked in front-line NHS services and in international healthcare before later taking up work in the private sector.