Although there are reassuring messages of protecting the NHS from cuts from both Gordon Brown and David Cameron there is an inevitability of reduced budgets that would be foolish to ignore. Politicians' pre-election promises hold little water and, as a profession, MPs are deft at delivering excuses for changes in direction. The UK budgetary imbalance is large and predicted as the largest in Europe. The IMF1 has identified the NHS is a major resource of savings for the UK economy and McKinseys,2 as management consultants to the NHS, have given their view on how this should be effected.
The NHS has received consistent budgetary increases since 2000. Much of this arose from a historical imbalance in UK health spending in terms of GDP compared with its EU neighbours,3 but even with consistent increases the UK still remains behind. However, the current UK economic figures are stark and apparent savings have to be made and the NHS is a major source. Whatever way …