Cut NHS red tape and boost productivity to prevent 20,000 early deaths a year in England, report urges

There is ‘substantial scope to improve outcomes within the funding already available to the NHS’, the report found. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

The NHS in England could prevent 20,000 deaths and save £33bn a year by cutting red tape and boosting productivity, a report says.

Research by the Health Foundation found the health service has been held back for decades by excessive regulation, short-term planning and insufficient capability to deliver major change.