Hospitals will struggle to meet productivity targets, says think tank

Around half of 29 NHS trust finance directors questioned for a report said that they are unsure that they will meet targets set by their trusts to increase productivity to make the £20bn (€23bn; $32bn) savings demanded of the NHS in England over the next four years. Without a productivity increase, services may have to be cut, putting extra pressure on waiting times.

In its second ever quarterly report on how the NHS is performing the healthcare think tank the King’s Fund invited 49 finance directors to complete an internet survey, and a further five were interviewed. The 29 directors who took part were drawn from acute trusts, mental health trusts, and …