LONDON -- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday announced plans to abolish the National Health Service (NHS) England, part of the government's efforts to enhance efficiency.

He said that this move will put the NHS "back at the heart of government, where it belongs, freeing it to focus on patients, less bureaucracy, with more money for nurses."

NHS England is a non-departmental body offering public healthcare in England, which means it is independent of government departments but delivers public services using public funding.

Given that NHS England's operation partly overlaps with that of the Department for Health and Social Care, this move is believed to be part of the government's efforts to reduce duplication, cut bureaucracy, and free up public funding.

The government's priorities include reducing the NHS wailing list, Starmer added.