The NHS in England has the potential to prevent up to 20,000 deaths and save £33bn annually by implementing measures to cut red tape and enhance productivity, according to a new report.
Research by the Health Foundation suggests that the health service has been hindered for decades by factors including excessive regulation, short-term planning, and a lack of capacity to deliver significant change. The report indicates that achieving outcomes closer to best-performing comparable health systems, without increased spending, could lead to 18,500–20,600 fewer deaths each year from treatable causes.
Such improvements could also result in an average of 2.5 to 4.5 additional years of good health for people. Key areas for preventing deaths include earlier cancer diagnoses and quicker identification of conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes.
The report advocates for changes such as freeing the NHS from unnecessary regulation and compliance tasks, alongside adopting a “test-and-learn” approach for scaling productivity improvements, including the use of artificial intelligence. Anita Charlesworth, a report author and senior economic adviser at the Health Foundation, described this as “mission critical for the NHS.”
Sir Ciarán Devane, chief executive of the NHS Alliance, agreed that more could be done to achieve productivity gains, but noted “big barriers” such as a long-running lack of capital investment.