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Consultants do deliver value

Reducing variation and digitisation is clearly the key to reducing waste and cost. However, this is not the only problem that needs addressing.

The cost of poor lifestyle and the growing levels of diabetes and obesity in all age groups are the biggest drain on the NHS. What the government needs to do is tackle that issue and quickly. There needs to be more of an incentive for people to manage their health and wellbeing.

[It’s] very easy to say ‘we can reduce costs here by cutting the use of management consultants’, when actually in many cases they deliver value for money, drive change and bring about recurrent savings. Why? Because they are outcome focused and don't have a day job to think about as well.

There is clearly a role here for management consultants, as in all industries. I do note the comment about a ‘reduction’ and not an ‘abolition’.

One final comment: the current government created this problem by significantly cutting the resources and losing a lot of intellectual capital that has been needed to underpin the re-organisation of the NHS.

Re: Hunt calls on NHS to deliver £10bn a year efficiency savings