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Health experts today poured cold water over Conservative plans to save NHS money by cutting red tape.
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley claimed he could save £4billion in administrative costs over four years. But Health Secretary Andy Burnham has said the NHS must make up to £20billion in savings.
John Lister, of campaign group London Health Emergency, said £4 billion over four years "was a drop in the ocean". Steve Barnett, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: "While there is potential for savings in bureaucracy, the scale of the task for the NHS in meeting the £15-£20billion efficiency requirements it needs is huge."
He added: "The hardest decisions are going to be those about priorities for clinical care and service re-organisation and redesign, and this is where politicians and NHS leaders will have to work together to find solutions."
Dr Kevin O'Kane, chairman of the BMA's London Regional Council, said billions could be saved by slashing the amount the NHS pays to the private sector to carry out operations.
Reader views (3)
@ Alan, Carlisle UK: "Misuse of public funds"?
I have heard that somewhere before!!
House of Conmen.
House of Frauds.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR
One of the ways that the NHS wastes money on private consultants is by paying them to hang around waiting to start for several months, then deciding not to use them because they haven't the stomach for their recommendations, which are not then acted upon. The recommendations usually require cutting beaurocracy and inspiring people to turn up for the work they are paid for . . .
- Roz, France
Stop right there. Steve Barnett, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said "The hardest decisions are going to be those about priorities for clinical care and service re-organisation and redesign and this is where politicians and NHS leaders will have to work together to find solutions." or put it another way, we will call in all our consultant friends, at enormous cost to do the work for us.
Dr Kevin O'Kane may have a point but it is wrongly expressed. If the private sector were forced to do the treatments it had been paid for, then no money would have been wasted. But this government, by not ensuring that all paid for proceedures had been carried out was guilty of a massive waste and misuse of public funds.
- Alan, carlisle uk
