The debate about the future financing and organisation of the NHS is taking off once again, fuelled by the forthcoming general election, concern about the UK’s record budget deficit and worries about the quality of patient care. The use of management consultants by the NHS has been the focus of much attention, particularly in the wake of the recently leaked McKinsey report on how the NHS can reduce costs.
The MCA’s report on management consulting and the NHS, Improving care, reducing cost, contains the first authoritative analysis of how much the NHS spends on managment consultancy and the types of work that management consultants do. It is based on detailed research with MCA member companies, and contains a series of case studies. In addition to analysing the NHS’s spending on management consultancy, the MCA has asked its members to explain the work that they do with the NHS, why they think this work is valuable and how it fits with a future of healthcare that needs to deliver high quality care at a cost the UK taxpayer is able and willing to pay.