NHS England boss Sir Simon Stevens will step down from running the health service in July

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Sir Simon Stevens has today announced he will step down as chief executive of NHS England in July.

He will leave his post ‘as planned’ after seven years to become a crossbench peer in the House of Lords.   

In a letter to colleagues, he described being in charge of the NHS through ‘some of the toughest challenges in its history’ as a privilege. Sir Simon — who earned up to £200,000 a year — has served through three elections and the Covid pandemic.

Boris Johnson said the outgoing health chief had ‘led the NHS with great distinction for the past seven years’. 

And politicians have voiced their recognition of Sir Simon, 54, whose planned departure was rumoured in NHS circles for two years.

NHS England’s chief operating officer Amanda Pritchard is the favourite to succeed Sir Simon and would become the first woman to hold the role.

And Dido Harding, head of the Government’s controversial test and trace programme, has also been linked to the job.

In a statement through NHS England, Sir Simon said: ‘Joining the health service in my early twenties was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, followed three decades later by the privilege of leading the NHS through some of the toughest challenges in its history.

‘The people of this country have rightly recognised the extraordinary service of NHS staff during this terrible pandemic, as well as the success of our Covid vaccination deployment. 

‘As the pandemic recedes in this country, the NHS’s track record in advancing medical progress in a way that works for everyone rightly continues to inspire young people to join one of the greatest causes – health and high quality care for all, now and for future generations.’

Sir Simon became chief executive of NHS England on April 1 2014, having first joined the health service in 1988 through its graduate management programme. 

He worked in frontline NHS services and international health care, in both the public and private sectors, before heading up the health service. 

From 1997 to 2004 Sir Simon acted as an adviser to Tony Blair’s Labour government, including three years in the No10 policy unit.

Sir Simon has been close friends with Boris Johnson since their time at Oxford University together.

He was knighted last year for services to health and the NHS.

The Prime Minister said: ‘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.’

The health boss is understood to have alerted Lord Prior, chairman of NHS England, last summer about his intention to step down.

But it was claimed Sir Simon wanted to see through the health service through the mammoth coronavirus vaccination programme.

Following the announcement, Lord Prior said the country owed Sir Simon a ‘huge debt of gratitude’. 

And Health Secretary Matt Hancock also paid tribute to Sir Simon’s work during his time as NHS England chief.

He said: ‘Throughout his tenure Sir Simon Stevens has been a steadfast and sage leader for our NHS, and that has been especially true during this most testing period in NHS history.

‘His leadership has helped NHS staff to overcome unprecedented adversity and keep services open for millions of patients in the face of this global pandemic.

‘The past seven years has seen Sir Simon make a formidable contribution to the running and transformation of health and care services in England, which will no doubt endure for years to come.

‘I want to thank him personally for his service to the NHS in England, and I wish him all the best for the future including his new role in the House of Lords.’

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer praised Sir Simon’s ‘extraordinary service to our NHS’ and his contribution to the Covid vaccination programme.

He said: ‘I want to thank Simon for his extraordinary service to our NHS. Simon has been a hugely effective advocate for the NHS, its patients and staff, and has led the service with great distinction through the greatest challenges it has faced since its foundation. 

‘The NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme under Simon’s leadership has shown the NHS at its best.’ 

Health and Social Care Committee chairman and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said Sir Simon should feel ‘extremely proud’ of his role in the NHS response to the Covid pandemic.

He tweeted: ‘When we recruited for a successor to Sir David Nicholson in 2013, there was a good deal of trepidation about the role following controversy over the 2012 Act. 

‘Simon, however, was the standout candidate and hiring him remains one of the best decisions I have ever taken.

‘Despite his time as a special adviser in No 10 and in the private sector in the US, Simon has always been NHS to his core. 

‘But neither he nor I knew just how bumpy things would become with immense operational and financial pressures across the NHS and social care system.

‘We had a symbiotic relationship: he gave the NHS confidence they had one of their own at the top and I made sure its voice was heard loud and clear in government circles.’

Mr Hunt said Sir Simon was a ‘formidable operator’, adding: ‘He has the rare quality of being able to stay silent in meetings unless he has something important to say, a rare quality in Whitehall. 

‘But his skills as an operator should not be allowed to conceal his deeply-held passion and support for everything the NHS stands for. 

‘He will be remembered for giving the world’s 5th largest organisation strategic direction at a time of great challenge.

‘However the immediate dividend from his leadership has been the superb NHS response to the pandemic: every patient that needed a ventilator or ICU bed got one and we have rolled out the best vaccination programme in Europe. He should feel extremely proud today.’

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, said: ‘Simon Stevens has been an outstanding leader for the NHS since 2014, championing both staff and patients alike.

‘The challenges of the past year have shown that strong leadership at the top of the NHS is more vital than ever before. 

‘The success of the vaccination programme is a real testament to his ability to deliver and we owe him a huge debt for his service to the NHS both over the course of the pandemic and the past seven years.’