We manage more than £395 billion of cash, raise 1.1 million purchase requisitions and process 6.9 million invoices each year on behalf of NHS organisations.

Behind these numbers is the operational infrastructure that enables the NHS to function effectively, from finance and procurement to workforce and administration. These services underpin frontline care, but too often they are delivered through fragmented processes, disconnected systems and unnecessary variation.

New occupational analysis of YouGov data commissioned by us suggests that many of the systems and processes supporting these functions are creating avoidable inefficiencies. They consume valuable time and resources that could be better directed elsewhere. As an organisation delivering much of this operational layer for the NHS, we see the impact first-hand.

Nine in ten NHS corporate, managerial and support staff, 92%, lose time every week to IT problems. Almost as many experience inefficient processes and duplicated steps that eat into their working week.

When time is spent re-entering data across systems that do not connect, chasing invoices that have gone astray or working around technology issues, the result is more than inconvenience. It slows down the operational layer of the NHS and creates unnecessary cost, inefficiency and frustration.

There are already examples showing what can be achieved when that friction is removed. In Norfolk and Waveney, five NHS trusts moved procurement and finance onto a shared platform. The time taken from requisition to order fell from two days to just ten minutes, and 94% of purchase orders are now generated automatically.

By integrating systems and redesigning workflows, the trusts reduced manual processing, improved consistency and control, and released capacity for higher-value work. It is a practical demonstration of how operational transformation can deliver measurable benefits for NHS organisations and their staff.

The staff experiencing these challenges are also clear about what would make the biggest difference. Almost two-thirds of NHS corporate, managerial and support staff, 62%, say more joined-up operational systems and processes across teams and organisations would improve their working lives. More than half, 54%, want greater standardisation, while 43% say more reliable systems and processes would help.

The report Futureproofing the NHS, published by NHS SBS in June, sets out why it is so important to get this operational layer right.

In the report, Jake Arnold-Forster, Chief Executive of Carradale Futures, said:

“If you want transformation, you first have to make processes consistent. Once processes are consistent and transparent, they can be improved. Unwarranted variation is, by far, the biggest cause of avoidable harm and waste in healthcare.”

Pritesh Mistry, Digital Technologies Fellow at The King’s Fund, also highlighted the untapped opportunity within corporate services. Because these functions are not directly patient-facing, organisations can often implement improvements more quickly, demonstrate measurable benefits and reduce operational burden.

The point is not to make every NHS organisation work in exactly the same way. It is to identify common processes and remove unnecessary friction wherever duplication, variation and manual effort add little value.

When we asked NHS staff how they would use time released through better systems and processes, almost a quarter of corporate, managerial and support staff, 23%, said they would use it to improve services or reduce backlogs, compared with 16% across all NHS staff. A further 15% said they would spend more time supporting colleagues, while 27% would focus more closely on their core responsibilities.

For a finance team, that could mean closing month-end faster, providing better management information or ensuring suppliers are paid promptly. For procurement teams, it could mean spending more time securing value for the NHS and less time navigating unnecessary administration.

The answer is not simply to ask operational teams to do more. The bigger opportunity is to remove unnecessary complexity through standardised processes, shared platforms and better use of technology. By reducing duplication and administrative effort, NHS organisations can improve productivity, strengthen resilience and ensure resources are focused where they add greatest value.

As financial pressures continue to grow across the health service, improving the operational foundations of the NHS is no longer just a back-office issue. It is a critical part of building a more productive and sustainable NHS for the future.

Read Futureproofing the NHS and explore the full YouGov findings

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,049 NHS staff, of whom 333 were corporate, managerial, and support staff (defined as the wider healthcare team, including non-clinical admin and portering, general managers, commissioning managers, support staff, and other occupational groups). Fieldwork was undertaken in June 2026.