Towards Excellence Accreditation

Recognising the best in culture, skills and processes in NHS finance

Demonstrate the strength, quality and positive culture of your finance team by achieving One NHS Finance Towards Excellence Accreditation.

One NHS Finance Towards Excellence Accreditation shows that your finance team’s processes and procedures are working. It proves you’ve developed a culture where staff feel appreciated and successes are celebrated. There are three levels, and only the best finance teams achieve full accreditation, could yours?

To start the process, you’ll need to complete a proforma, which you can download at the bottom of the page. There are three submission dates each year, 31 December, 30 April and 31 August. Once you’ve completed the proforma, return it to us at one.finance@nhs.net

Those wishing to go for their Level 2 or 3 accreditation should notify the Central Team at least six months before assessors will be required, to allow sufficient time for planning and assessor allocation. If you are aiming for 30th April 2026, please send through your proformas by COP 5th January. If you are aiming for 31st August deadline please send it through by 1st May 2026. If you are aiming for 31st December deadline , please send through your proformas by 1st September 2026. We will then assess your organisation’s readiness ahead of assessor assignment.

Please note that if you are going for Level 2 we will need your updated Level 1 proforma and if you are going for level 3 we will need your updated Levels 1&2 proformas.

If you have any questions on the latest standards to please get in touch and a member of the team would be happy to help.

Please be aware that we are currently experiencing a shortage of volunteer assessors. We will always do our best to arrange assessments as needed, but there may be times when availability is limited and delays are unavoidable.

Want to know more?

Learn about what the accreditation process is, the different levels of accreditation, and why it should be a priority for your organisation.

Watch our animation here

Webinar: How to achieve Level 2 Accreditation – October 15, 11:00 – 12:00

National Accreditation Process Full Guidance Document 2026

This document outlines each stage of the process for the Towards Excellence Accreditation at each level. It provides hints and tips to support you in developing your application and details how assessments should be conducted.

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Accreditation Assessors

Here, you’ll find a selection of documents for trained accreditation assessors and information on upcoming training events and how to become an assessor.

Access them here

Finance Director Declarations

To achieve Level 1 accreditation, Finance Directors must sign a declaration to demonstrate they’re committed to continual improvement. Read more and download the declaration here

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Reasons to get accredited

Our resource document outlines the key reasons and benefits of your organisation achieving accreditation.

Read it here

Towards Excellence Accreditation: Meaning

Learn about the Towards Excellence Accreditation in our concise one-page guide.

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Professional Bodies

To achieve accreditation, you’ll need to register with professional accountancy bodies. Find details and join today.

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Sustaining Excellence: Strategies for Maintaining Level 3 Accreditation

Watch back: In this masterclass we will hear from colleagues from Bolton FT and Stockport FT who have both recently been through the Level 3 re-accreditation process.

Watch here