NHS paid private firms an estimated £21million for advice on how to cut costs, investigation reveals
Kent and Medway was the biggest spender, paying £3.2million to four firms
THE NHS has paid private management consultants an estimated £21million for advice on how to cut costs, an investigation found.
The NHS advisors are helping bosses – on salaries of up to £190,000 – draw up plans that aim to save the service £22billion by 2020/21.
This could include closing or downgrading hospitals, A&Es and maternity services.
Health chiefs have formed 44 Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships across England to overhaul services as the NHS looks to save £22billion by 2021.
But Freedom of Information requests by GP magazine Pulse have revealed many are paying external management consultants vast sums.
A total of 19 STPs responded to the requests, revealing they had spent £9.17million between them on consultants since March 2016. Similar spending in the other 25 STPs would give a total figure of £21.2million.
The STP for Kent and Medway was the biggest spender, paying £3.2million to four firms, including £2.97million to Carnall Farrar.
And Hertfordshire and West Essex STP spent £141,000 on consultants as IVF treatment in the area is being rationed.
Janet Davies, from the Royal College of Nursing, said: “The Government will struggle to justify this level of spending on management consultants who advise on cutting nursing staff.
“This sort of expertise should already be held within the NHS. It is a false economy when the consultants cost more than the savings they identify.
Dover GP Dr John Allingham described the £3.2million spent in Kent as “an eye-watering amount of money” to spend in a region with high deprivation and “significant unmet needs”.
And the British Medical Association’s Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: “With the NHS facing an unprecedented crisis it is unacceptable that millions of pounds are being spent on consultancy fees.”