IT WAS NOT only a decapitation but also a disembowelment. Fittingly for the British public servants, the death of the arms-length body which runs the National Health Service (NHS) in England was confirmed with an all-staff email and a stiff upper lip. Weeks after announcing her own resignation, on March 10th NHS England’s chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, said that other senior leaders—including the chief financial officer, chief operating officer and chief delivery officer—were also to depart. The number of staff could also be halved, she warned, a gutting which implies the loss of 6,500 jobs.