Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSRCN welcomes call for full disclosure on NHS management consultant spending
The RCN has welcomed a call by the Health Select Committee for full disclosure on management consultant spending in the NHS.
At RCN congress this year, the college released figures from a freedom of information request showing that the NHS spent £350 million on external management consultants in the last financial year.
Of this £350 million, 78% was unrelated to direct patient care, the college said.
RCN general secretary, Peter Carter, said: ‘These figures are utterly shocking when you consider the difference that this money (£273 million) could have made to patients.
‘Before the Department of Health and local health trusts look at cutting frontline services, training budgets or new facilities, they need to look very carefully at the money spent on external advice and what value is added to the patient experience.
‘With budget cuts on the horizon, patients and staff have a right to know that money spent on management consultants is delivering good value for money, and to see evidence of how it is improving patient care,’ he added.
The RCN has also called for the government to collect lists of the management consultants employed by the NHS, indicating the projects they are employed on, their duration, cost and purpose.
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Readers' comments (2)
Anonymous | 7-Jun-2009 2:41 pm
It will be interesting to see how many 'management consultants' are related to hospital managers.
Could we also have full disclosure of the expense claims made by hospital managers?
I believe that this would make fascinating reading
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Anonymous | 7-Jun-2009 5:28 pm
Our trsut has cut staff and is alaways refusing a £25.00 HCA shift but has spent a fortune on managment consultants and new tiers of management. Its quite interesting as well as to who decides how long they should be there and the cost of taking people out of posts to help them .There is also the cost of additional staff on their team.I believe we should have full disclosure ..it will be interesting to see who is at the top of the league then
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