Consultants cost NHS £313m

The NHS in England spent £313.9m on management consultants in the past financial year, figures released by the Government indicate.

The cost, which includes advice from architects, lawyers and surveyors, is almost the same as the amount spent on skin and lung cancer services combined.

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "It is extremely difficult to see how spending more than £313m on consultancy services in one year can be justified."