Wasteful processes are a challenge at the NHS, and for health care delivery worldwide. It is a trend whose importance has been noted by experts for some time as well.

After publication of a report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, Protecting resources, promoting value: a doctor's guide to cutting waste in clinical care, that raised opportunities for greater efficiencies in delivering NHS care, a 2014 editorial in The Lancet advised, “at least an estimated 20 percent of the costs of mainstream clinical practice bring no benefit to patients.”


The journal also reported that the report “includes a waste reduction toolkit that is particularly aimed at diagnostics. A triple imperative in reducing waste in medicine is cited: improve value, lower costs, and reduce CO2 emissions.”

“The report's primary intention is not to provide a comprehensive analysis of how much money could be saved within the NHS, and nor does it intend to provide explicit guidance for doctors,” noted the Lancet. “However, potential savings of some £2 billion a year have been quoted in areas identified in the report, a worthwhile sum if achievable.”

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