Doctors have an ethical duty to prevent waste in the NHS, argues a report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Its authors point to potential savings of nearly £2bn. Examples include better use of medication, tests, hospital beds and operating theatres. The British Medical Association said doctors were ideally placed to identify savings, but patients must come first. The authors argue it is better to develop a culture of finding the best way to do something, and then do it right across the health service. ‘We need to be innovative to tackle the huge financial challenges we are facing’ Surgeon Jeremy Lavey. A manager can't make those decisions whereas we are ideally positioned and we have a responsibility to make sure we do that properly.’