England’s NHS Chief to Leave After Criticism of Health Service

The chief executive officer of England’s National Health Service is stepping down just weeks after she faced political criticism over its productivity.

Amanda Pritchard, the first woman to run the health service in its 76-year history, will leave at the end of March, according to a statement Tuesday. She said the time was right to stand down now as the NHS had “turned a corner on recovery from the pandemic” and the foundations to bring about further change were in place. The decision followed discussions with UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting over recent months.