Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made with delivering £22 billion of efficiency savings in the NHS identified in its five-year forward plan.

The Government is committed to investing £10 billion to fund the National Health Service’s own plan for the future, and the NHS needs to deliver efficiency savings in order to live within its means.

Since May 2015, the Government has taken action to help hospitals clamp down on excessive agency staffing costs, use of management consultants and fees charged by lawyers. Lord Carter’s interim report has outlined how hospitals can save around £5 billion by reducing variations in the way operations and treatments are carried out. Further programmes at work are under way in partnership with NHS England and others.

The Department is working together with the health service, our partners and patients to further develop the programme required to fully achieve the efficiency savings set out in the Five Year Forward View.