In a time of significant financial challenge across the NHS, Surviving and Thriving is a new initiative designed to support finance teams with the tools, resources, and shared knowledge they need to navigate recovery—confidently and collaboratively.

This page brings together a bank of guides, templates and tools covering everything from the fundamentals such as run rates, forecasting, and cost improvement, to more advanced planning, assurance-based reporting, and communication strategies. The materials here are contributed by NHS organisations that are already making meaningful progress, to be used as examples and templates (please note these have not been quality assured).  Shared openly, they reflect real-world approaches to common challenges. Whether you’re a new Finance Director or part of a team looking for a self-check, these resources are designed to be practical, unintimidating, and immediately useful.

Many of the resources fit into more than one category so please review the whole list to see what might be useful to you. View the directory of content and resources here.

This is a collaborative and evolving space where we aim not just to survive the current pressures, but to emerge stronger and more resilient.  If you have anything you would like to contribute, please email one.finance@nhs.net.