Could the NHS save money by getting it right first time?

Could the NHS save money by getting it right first time? With the NHS strapped for cash, there are frequent demands for more money. But could hospitals make better use of resources?

That's the question which NHS chiefs in England are pondering at a time when funding increases are not keeping up with patient demand.

One leading surgeon even says the NHS doesn't need more money - and can find what it needs simply by becoming more efficient.

At the heart of the latest attempts to make the money go further is another typical piece of NHS jargon - "Getting It Right First Time" or Girft. It may sound obscure, but it is now a buzzword around Whitehall and at public policy think tanks.

Ministers and health service leaders are setting great store by this project and hoping it can free up more money for the front line at a time of mounting pressure. A new report from the Girft team has come up with annual potential savings for NHS in England of £268m. BBC News