Every day, NHS teams work tirelessly to deliver care for patients. As organisations look to improve productivity, reduce administrative burden and make better use of valuable resources, shared services are playing an increasingly important role.
Our Impact Report showcases how NHS SBS is supporting those efforts by helping create more time for patient care, strengthening operational resilience and supporting the future of the NHS.
Download the NHS SBS Impact Report to explore the full findings.
The opportunity to deliver more for patients
As the NHS faces increasing financial and operational pressures, small improvements at scale can have a significant impact. Shared services offer an opportunity to release funding that can be reinvested in patient care, workforce capacity and NHS priorities.
£3bn
could be reinvested back into the NHS if all ICBs used NHS SBS's services
The true value of productivity gains isn’t measured in pounds alone.
It’s measured in the staff, treatments and services those resources provide.
Imagine what more could be achieved with an additional £3 billion invested in the NHS.
That’s enough to fund:
74,000
nurses
290,000
hip operations
2m
cataract surgeries
10,800
additional beds
Behind Every Statistic Is a Person
Corporate services are not merely administration.
They are a critical part of how NHS colleagues deliver efficient care every day.
From ensuring the right products are available when needed, to providing the insight required for strategic decisions,
the impact is felt across the NHS.
The neonatal nurse
At 3am, a neonatal nurse needs to order a product for a sick baby. By 3:03am, the right clinically approved product has been selected from a catalogue of best-value items and arrives on the ward the following morning
The hospital manager
A hospital manager planning estate improvements uses AI to bring together the information needed into a single personalised dashboard, helping support decision-making without manually gathering data from multiple sources
The finance officer
Planning for winter pressures, a finance officer has a single view of finance, workforce, activity and capacity data. Changes update in real time, providing greater visibility and confidence in decision-making.
Delivering Impact Across the NHS Today
Behind every statistic are NHS staff working to deliver the best possible care. Whether it’s a neonatal nurse sourcing critical equipment, a hospital manager planning service improvements or a finance officer preparing for winter pressures, the right systems and support help people do their jobs more effectively.
Over the last year alone, NHS SBS has helped deliver measurable benefits at scale across the NHS, supporting the people and services that patients rely on every day.
£66m
Capital reinvested in NHS infrastructure.
Helping the NHS modernise once rather than hundreds of times, at no additional cost to the taxpayer.
£395bn
Processed through NHS finance services.
Ensuring money flows around the NHS quickly, simply and securely
£432m
Procurement savings.
Leveraging the NHS’s buying power through stronger national procurement frameworks
£1.2bn
VAT reclaimed.
Returning valuable funds to NHS organisations
£7.46bn
Aged debt recovered.
Strengthening financial resilience across the NHS
99%
NHS coverage.
Supporting providers and commissioners across England
“The NHS has always adapted to change, but today the scale and speed are unprecedented. Rising costs, inflation, outdated systems, regulatory pressures and workforce shortages have pushed the service to a critical tipping point.Transformation is no longer optional.”
Justin Jewitt
Chair, Medefer and Board Member,
NHS Shared Business Services
The NHS is being asked to do more with limited resources while delivering on ambitious reform priorities. To support this shift, organisations need strong operational foundations that improve productivity, strengthen decision-making and help services adapt to future demand. NHS SBS helps deliver these foundations through shared services, technology, data and specialist expertise.
By reducing duplication, standardising processes and improving access to information, NHS SBS is helping NHS organisations work more effectively at local, regional and national levels. From finance and procurement to workforce services, these foundations enable teams to focus less on navigating complex systems and more on delivering high-quality care.
The impact of these foundations can already be seen across the NHS. From transforming financial visibility and procurement processes to reducing the burden of routine administration, organisations are using technology and innovation to create capacity, improve productivity and support better patient care. The benefits can be seen across a wide range of services, helping teams spend less time on administration and more on patients.
Creating More Time Through Automation
Reducing Administrative Burden, Improving Patient Experience
When NHS admin is efficient, patients benefit. Faster processes, fewer errors and more seamless services help ensure people receive the care and support they need sooner.
Through automation and digital innovation, we’ve helped organisations streamline complex administrative tasks and release valuable capacity back to teams. One example is Ada, a digital worker introduced at Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust to support the processing of paediatric referrals.
Most importantly, faster referral processing helps children and families receive answers and access support sooner, reducing delays and creating a more consistent experience from the start of their care journey.
The impact of Ada
By reducing manual effort and improving efficiency, Ada has helped create more time for staff, reduced delays and helped patients and families receive a faster, more consistent referral experience.
- Reduced referral processing time from 40 minutes to less than five minutes
- Saves more than 1,500 staff hours per year
- Processes approximately 240 referrals every month
- Delivers a 90% reduction in errors
- Saves 116 hours every month
- Reduces response times by 50%
- Generates projected savings of around £16,000 per year
Featured Case study
Transforming clinical procurement, unlocking clinical time
A proven NHS transformation: 12,000 clinical hours released, £420k annual savings achieved, and £69k cash freed through smarter ...
View case study
Featured Case study
“Ada” automates Bedfordshire and Luton referrals
Digital worker ‘Ada’ transformed referrals by processing 240 each month, reducing time by 87% and cutting errors from 10% to u...
View case study
Featured Case study
Equipping CDCs in Norfolk & Waveney
We delivered c.20% equipment savings for Norfolk and Waveney Acute Hospital Collaborative's three new Community Diagnostic Centres...
View case studySupporting NHS Reform
The government’s vision for healthcare reform is centred around three key shifts: moving from analogue to digital, from treatment to prevention, and from hospital to community-based care. NHS SBS is helping organisations build the foundations needed to support this transformation, improving productivity, enabling better decision-making and creating greater capacity for frontline services.
Analogue to Digital
By reducing manual processes and improving access to real-time information, digital technology is helping NHS teams work more efficiently and make faster, better-informed decisions. NHS SBS supports this through integrated finance, workforce and procurement solutions that automate routine tasks and improve visibility across organisations. The result is a more connected NHS, with staff spending less time navigating systems and more time focusing on patient care
Treatment to Prevention
Better decisions start with better insight. By bringing together finance, workforce and operational data, NHS SBS is helping organisations identify challenges earlier, allocate resources more effectively and plan ahead with greater confidence. This enables NHS leaders to anticipate pressures, make informed decisions and target resources where they can have the greatest impact, helping improve outcomes for patients and communities.
Hospital to Community
As more care is delivered closer to home, NHS organisations need the right infrastructure and support to enable new models of care. NHS SBS helps organisations strengthen community-based services through shared services, capital programmes and procurement expertise. By supporting initiatives such as Community Diagnostic Centres, NHS SBS is helping improve access to care and support earlier diagnosis closer to patients’ homes.
“These have delivered savings of around £1 billion in the past decade
and are on course to deliver a further £3 billion in the next four years,
supporting the NHS’s long-term sustainability,
productivity and acting as an extension to frontline teams.”
Erika Bannerman
Managing Director, NHS Shared Business Service
Investing in the Future of the NHS
Building a stronger NHS requires investment in the people, technology and infrastructure that support patient care. As a self-funding organisation, NHS SBS reinvests in the capabilities that help NHS organisations modernise services, improve productivity and embrace innovation.
Through continued investment in specialist expertise, workforce development and social value initiatives, NHS SBS is helping create a more resilient and sustainable health service for the future
£66m
Reinvested into NHS infrastructure over the last four years
37,000
Learning hours completed by colleagues in 2025
100%
Of directly managed waste diverted from landfill
7,000+
Volunteer hours delivered in local communities
and tomorrow
For more than 20 years, NHS organisations have benefited from the shared services, expertise and innovation provided by NHS SBS, helping reduce duplication, improve productivity and release valuable resources for patient care. Today, that impact reaches 99% of NHS providers and commissioners in England.
From delivering procurement savings and supporting system-wide transformation to reducing administrative burden through automation, NHS SBS is helping organisations improve productivity, strengthen resilience and create more capacity for patient care.
As the NHS continues to evolve, NHS SBS remains committed to helping ensure NHS organisations have the time, resources and support they need to continue delivering care for the people who rely on them every day.
Download our Impact Report
Explore the full report to discover the people, partnerships and innovations helping create a stronger NHS and better patient care.
Explore the Futureproofing the NHS programme
Discover the research, expert insights and recommendations that emerged from our roundtable series. Explore the full analysis, thought leadership articles and resources examining the operational foundations needed to support innovation, productivity and long-term NHS reform.
