'Efficient' health costs revealed

Northern Ireland has the lowest management costs in health and social services in the UK, according to a report.

The survey was commissioned by the NHS Confederation in Northern Ireland, which represents managers in health boards and trusts.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where hospitals and social services are run by the same body.

This means direct comparisons are difficult, but the management consultants who produced the report said the province was the most efficient area.

Dr Paula Kilbane of the NHS Confederation said effective management costs money.

She said more money should be spent on management to improve services.

"If you want, for example, to manage services like one-stop shops, then the cost to underpin that is unlikely to be less - it's likely to be more," she said.

The confederation said plans to restructure health service management were unlikely to save money.