I think the point being made is that health is devolved, and this story affects NHS England, but not the other NHS systems in Wales, Scotland, or NI. This is a common problem with reporting on the NHS - journos often say "The UK NHS" when they mean England.

(It's arguable about whether, and how much, an arms-length-body is directly managed by the department of health and social care but I don't think we're going to agree. People who are interested in the detail can read more here: https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2017-Short... (It's a bit out of date, there's been some consolidation)).