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The BMA has welcomed the Health Select Committee’s call for the government to gather central information on the cost to the NHS of private management consultants.
In a speech yesterday (03.06.09), the chairman of the BMA’s Consultants Committee, Dr Jonathan Fielden, called for private management consultants to be “ditched” from the NHS. According to a recent estimate, the English NHS spent £350 million on independent management consultants last year.
Commenting on the Health Committee report, Dr Fielden said: “This is hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money that is yet to be shown to have benefited patient care. Particularly during an economic crisis, the public has a right to know how its money is being spent.
“NHS staff already have widespread expertise and knowledge. The benefit of management consultants – steeped in the ethos of the private sector – must be questioned and needs to be justified.”
