Lord Carter’s Proposed Plans for NHS Efficiency Savings (BBC News / Department of Health)

Summary

In his latest report on the potential of good leadership for providing NHS cost savings, high-quality patient care and more efficient use of resources, Lord Patrick Carter has released further plans as to how hospitals might collectively save up to £5 billion per year by 2020.

Hospitals in England are to be given savings targets. Hospitals are encouraged to consider building care homes to improve patient flows by reducing delayed transfers of care into the community. The main approach involves reducing variations in the efficiency of spending on different services. The biggest target savings, allegedly achievable by reducing unwarranted variations in procurement etc., improving quality, adopting best practice and reducing avoidable patient complications, are:

1. General medicine: estimated efficiency savings of £381million.
2. Obstetrics and gynaecology: estimated efficiency savings of £362 million.
3. Trauma and orthopaedics: estimated efficiency savings of £286 million.
4. Pathology: estimated efficiency savings of £256 million.
5. Cancer services: estimated efficiency savings of £255 million.
6. Emergency medicine: estimated efficiency savings of £254 million.
7. General surgery: estimated efficiency savings of £235 million.
8. Community nursing: estimated efficiency savings of £217 million.
9. High cost drugs: estimated efficiency savings of £213 million.
10. Paediatrics: estimated efficiency savings of £209 million.
11. Intensive and Critical care: estimated efficiency savings of £209 million.
12. Cardiology: estimated efficiency savings of £184 million.

A few million here, a few hundreds of million there; “… pretty soon, you’re talking real money”. Everett McKinley Dirksen (January 4^th 1896 – September 7^th 1969).

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Reference

Triggle, N. (2015). Hospitals in England to get individual savings targets. London: BBC Health News, October 21^st 2015.

Further BBC News analysis:

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Reference

Pym, H. (2015). Lord Carter’s plans for saving the NHS £5bn a year. London: BBC Health News, October 21^st 2015.

This relates to:

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Reference

Lord Carter: reducing variation in care could save NHS £5 billion. London: Department of Health, October 21^st 2015.