"Last month, more than nine out of 10 patients were waiting less than 18 weeks to start consultant-led treatment.
From the start, consultants and the companies they work for are at cross-purposes; consultants want as many billable hours as possible and companies want things fixed as fast as possible.
This concept is supported by evidence that between 1994 and 2002 the number of publications published by gastroenterology specialist registrar trainees before starting consultant posts, had fallen significantly from a median of 19 in 1993 to a median of 5 by 2002.
This year, Boston Consulting will let starting consultants elect to take an immersion language class, paid for by the firm, before they start work.
"I got into the real estate business by accident," explained Mr. Halabi, who had been working as a venture capitalist and start-up consultant until the Internet bubble burst.
When they first start, new consultants are put on relatively simple projects to gauge their abilities.
He cited the example of his trust - the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire - which has started getting consultant anaesthetists to work 12-hour shifts on Saturdays and Sundays.
"The first thing is that we always like to see domain experts that want to disrupt themselves… they started as consultants in this field and basically wanted to productize their consulting," he told me.
These included both UCSF personnel and outsiders who had started companies, consultants, engineers, physicians, and researchers".
Melanie and her best friend, Julie, a former Senate aide turned consultant, start the fictional Capitolette blog after Melanie's candidate is accused by a nutty opposition group of having been brainwashed to "redistribute wealth".
But before you start as a consultant, you should talk with a lawyer and an accountant to help you set up your business.
