"NHS bosses have been urged by Jeremy Hunt to focus on finding efficiencies and patient care rather than complain about a lack of funds."
Typical management tactic of not addressing a concern buit throwing the problem back for others to solve suggesting an option that is probably inadequate and possibly invalid, just so long as the management doesn't have to deal with their issues.
"The Health Secretary hit out at the NHS saying the Government has provided the extra funding requested by its chief executive and now wants the health service to "deliver its side of the bargain" by eliminating waste."
And there is still waste to cut ? The main issue referred to is the need to hire sub-contracted staff at high rates because so called efficiency drives ensure no slack in the system, so there are insufficient staff to cover when demand is high.
It's outrageous that taxpayers are being forced to pay over the odds because of such a blinkered policy of not employing enough to do the tasks required of it.
"The NHS is bigger than all of these companies, so we'll use that bargaining power to drive down rates and beat them at their own game."
Yes, well, we can all see that happening.
"Mr Hunt also complained about £600m spent on management consultants. Management recruiting management to help them make management decisions. New rules will set a maximum hourly rate for agency doctors, ban the use of agencies that are not approved, put a cap on agency spending in NHS trusts with financial difficulties and require approval for consultancy contracts over £50,000."
They ought not be using agencies (much) in the first place. Certainly not as a deliberate strategy. Flexing muscle will result in the less capable being used as the more capable will be looking elsewhere.
"Mr Burnham added a decision to cut 6,000 nursing posts meant the NHS had no choice but to turn to agencies. The only answer was to recruit more nurses and create more training places, he said."
Sounds good as long as they train/recruit UK nurses, rather than grab skills learnt elsewhere in the world where they are sorely needed.