NHS cuts will make up a third of £11bn savings across public services

The health sector is to contribute the most out of the pubic services towards repaying the country’s debt by making £4.35bn (€4.83bn; $6.5bn) worth of efficiency savings by 2012-13, the government announced in the budget this week.

The Chancellor Alistair Darling confirmed it will stick to its plans to keep NHS spending at its current level in 2010-2011, but that from 2011 it would be seeking annual savings of £11bn across government departments to halve public spending as a proportion of the economy over the next four years.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham said the NHS savings would be made by cutting £1.5bn from the costs of procurement, £100m from the National Programme for IT, £130m by reducing energy consumption and managing estates more efficiently, and up to £555m by reducing staff sick absence.

Mr Burnham, …