If you have read the book Plundering the Public Sector (David Craig and Richard Brooks) or NHS plc (Allyson Pollock), then the concerns over the costs to the NHS of management consultants will not be news.

A report echoing this was released by the House of Commons Health Committee at the end of last week (and doesn’t seem to have garnered widespread publicity).
Health Committee Report: Use of Management Consultants in the NHS

On page three it notes that It is “estimated that the NHS spent £0.6 billion on consultancy services in 2005-6… The cost per day of senior [consultancy] partners is usually in excess of £1,000, [and] juniors £400-£500.”

On page five, it becomes clear that no one really knows how much is being spent at the moment. What is worse is the lack of evidence for using these firms. Do we know if any of the spending been necessary or cost effective? In what way has this money helped patient care?  

It may not be just the NHS that should be wary: Sue Cameron wrote about the bills management consultants were sending to Whitehall earlier this year.