McKinsey saw nights at the opera as the ticket to success | Business

After years of increased funding being pumped into the NHS, which had raised staff levels and cut patient waiting times, the money flow came to a halt after the global financial crisis.

Faced with a budget shortfall, the government turned to McKinsey to trim health costs and in March 2009, the firm delivered its plan in a 123-slide PowerPoint presentation. The proposal outlined a pathway to save the NHS up to £20 billion by cutting about 10…