Department of Health to make efforts to cut red tape

A new government push to eliminate red tape will see the Department of Health taking steps to reduce bureaucracy in order to save money.

As part of a broader commitment to save ten billion pounds through efficiency improvements, the Department of Health will be paired with the Department for Communities and Local Government to lead a new programme of work.

This will focus on making sure that the multiple interventions made by public bodies that deal with care homes are targeted, proportionate and co-ordinated, as well as taking steps to clarify what each agency does and why.

A recent review found that residential care homes spend roughly 16 days a year dealing with inspections and 25 days a year handling information requests, resulting in more paperwork at the expense of time spent caring for residents.

The ultimate aim will be to remove duplication, as this will provide benefits both for residents and for the effectiveness of care providers.

Business secretary Sajid Javid said: "Through the Enterprise Bill, we are extending the scope of our deregulation target to cover the actions of regulators, going further than ever before to tackle troublesome red tape."