Health bosses have spent at least £17.6m on management consultants to draw up plans that could lead to the closure or downgrading of NHS hospitals, new figures show.
Firms including KPMG, McKinsey and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) have made millions of pounds from the strategies, which earmark cuts to departments and some A&Es.
Sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) have been created in 44 regions in a bid to revolutionise services while saving money in the face of an expected £900m NHS deficit this year.
The national figure for spending on consultants, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, comes after The Yorkshire Post revealed last month that more than £1m had been paid to private consultants to help draw up STPs in Yorkshire.
Now, updated figures for the region show at least £478,588 has been spent on private consultants in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, £404,648 in Humber, Coast and Vale – covering parts of North and East Yorkshire, as well as North Lincolnshire – and £241,921 in West Yorkshire and Harrogate.
Read More at The Yorkshire Post, 21st March 2017