Help shape the next chapter of One NHS Finance

Over the past five years, we’ve achieved a huge amount together. We’ve built networks, created opportunities, supported careers and brought people together around a shared vision for NHS finance. Now we’re turning our attention to the opportunities and challenges ahead.

We are developing the new NHS Finance Development Strategy for 2026-29 and, before we finalise it, we want to hear from you.

This strategy is deliberately different from the last one. Over the past five years, we have focused on building the foundations. The next three years are about making the most of what we’ve created, embedding what works, and focusing our efforts where they can have the greatest impact. For the first time, it also brings together our work on talent management, recruitment and retention, and equality, diversity and inclusion into a single, coherent plan

The strategy is structured around three objectives, each led by one of our national programmes.

Developing our people – led by the National Finance Academy

We want to ensure every finance professional has access to high-quality development, a clear career pathway and inclusive support to help them thrive. Priorities include:

  • Growing, recruiting, retaining and developing talent across NHS finance
  • Strengthening talent pipelines and succession planning, including for senior leadership roles
  • Embedding equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do
  • Expanding early careers opportunities, apprenticeships and entry routes into NHS finance
  • Creating a clear and consistent development offer for all finance staff, from Band 2 to CFO
  • Supporting leadership development, resilience and professional growth at every career stage

Building our community – led by Future-Focused Finance

We want NHS finance to be a profession where people feel connected, supported and proud to work. Priorities include:

  • Making NHS finance a great place to work through accreditation, staff experience and wellbeing
  • Supporting colleagues through organisational change and periods of increased pressure
  • Strengthening national and regional networks, including the Value Maker community
  • Sharing learning, best practice and success stories from across the NHS
  • Promoting NHS finance careers and attracting future talent into the profession
  • Building financial confidence across the NHS through programmes such as Demystifying NHS Finance

Optimising our systems and processes – led by the Finance Innovation Forum

We want to help finance teams work smarter, embrace new technology and focus more time on activity that adds value. Priorities include:

  • Building AI and digital capability across the finance workforce
  • Supporting staff to develop the skills and confidence needed to use new technologies effectively
  • Scaling innovation and spreading proven solutions across the NHS
  • Standardising processes and reducing unnecessary variation
  • Releasing capacity from routine activity through automation and better ways of working
  • Shaping the future finance function and preparing for the changing skills and roles that will be needed in the years ahead

Tell us what you think

These priorities have been shaped by feedback from national and regional networks and colleagues across the country, but we want to make sure we’ve got them right before the strategy is published.

Do these priorities reflect what matters most to you and your team? Is there anything missing? Let us know your thoughts.

Whether you’re an apprentice or a CFO, your voice matters. This strategy belongs to the whole NHS finance community.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please email one.finance@nhs.net by 10th August 2026.

Could you chair the National Finance Academy?

As we move into this next chapter, we are looking for a new Chair of the National Finance Academy, the programme leading our work on talent, equality, diversity and inclusion, and professional development.

This is an exciting opportunity to build on the excellent work of the current Chair, Hardev Virdee, who has played a key role in shaping and growing the Academy, strengthening our focus on talent management, inclusion and leadership development across the NHS finance profession.

We are looking for a Chief Finance Officer who is passionate about developing people and helping shape the future of NHS finance. If you’d like to find out more, or express an interest, please contact Camilla.Godfrey@nhs.net