Cut NHS red tape and boost productivity to prevent 20,000 early deaths a year in England, report urges

The NHS in England could prevent 20,000 deaths and save £33bn a year by cutting red tape and boosting productivity, a report says. Research by the Health Foundation found the health service has been held back for decades by excessive regulation, short-term planning and insufficient capability to deliver major change. But rewiring the NHS, the world’s largest single healthcare system, by harnessing new technology, empowering staff and increasing capital investment could save both lives and money, it found.

There is “substantial scope to improve outcomes within the funding already available to the NHS”, which could result in up to four extra years of good health for people on average, the report said. In terms of where deaths could be prevented, focusing on diagnosing cancer earlier and finding people with high blood pressure or conditions such as diabetes quicker would be key, it added. The report called for a series of changes, such as releasing the NHS from unnecessary regulation, reporting and compliance tasks, as well as launching a “test-and-learn” approach to scaling up things that could improve productivity, such as use of artificial intelligence.

Increasing NHS productivity is “sometimes … seen as exhorting hard-working staff to work even harder, in a system already under considerable strain” but this view must be challenged, it added. Researchers also heard from staff how poor IT wasted clinical time, how limited estate and equipment constrained healthcare and how gaps in administrative support shifted additional work to clinicians. While AI offered opportunities, the “NHS has repeatedly struggled to take advantage of the potential”, the report said.

Anita Charlesworth, report author and senior economic adviser at the Health Foundation, said: “This is mission critical for the NHS, which cannot simply keep doing more of the same. More must be done to turn the tide on years of neglect … We also agree that a more streamlined, supportive regulatory system which encourages local autonomy and innovation will be vital for future progress.”