The Department of Health may struggle to make the efficiency savings set out in the pre-Budget report, according to research by EC Harris.

The government plans to make public sector savings of 拢5bn in 2010/11, and a programme launched in Monday鈥檚 report will look at how the NHS can make better use of facilities.

It has emerged that EC Harris co-authored a review of NHS property in the summer, which found that estate strategy had a 鈥渓ow profile鈥� on the organisation鈥檚 business agenda and there was 鈥渓ittle perceived incentive鈥� to maximise use of space.

Ed Baldwin, a partner in EC Harris, said: 鈥淥ur review highlighted that the NHS still has much to undertake to really understand how well its assets are performing.鈥�

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