News
Keep up-to-date with the latest NHS Benchmarking Network developments and news!
On this page you will find NHSBN wide and member programme news. For news from our other programmes, please follow the links below:
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Below are our latest NHSBN wide newsletters. To join our mailing list, please contact us.
Annual General Meeting Review
The NHS Benchmarking Network's 2025 Annual General Meeting took place virtually on Monday 16th June, providing a comprehensive overview of the Network’s progress and future direction.
The NHS Benchmarking Network's 2025 Annual General Meeting took place virtually on Monday 16th June, providing a comprehensive overview of the Network’s progress and future direction. NHS Benchmarking Network Steering Group Chair, Sam Wilde, Chief Finance Officer,
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust welcomed attendees and highlighted the organisation’s core values - Excellence, Respect, and Integrity - alongside updates on leadership changes and ongoing recruitment for a Home Nations Steering Group representative.
Emma Bamber, Associate Director - Member Programme, presented the 2024/25 work programme, showcasing strong member engagement with nearly 900,000 data points collected and 197 member organisations participating. Priorities for the upcoming year include enhancing productivity, addressing health inequalities, and leveraging technology for benchmarking and data validation.
A significant development was the announcement of Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust as the new host organisation, taking over from East London NHS Foundation Trust.
Thank you to East London NHS Foundation Trust for their contributions that have been instrumental in advancing out projects and supporting stakeholders.
The meeting concluded with a presentation from Kevin Fisher, Head of Business Intelligence & Reporting, Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust on the practical application of benchmarking to improve patient outcomes, underlining the value of data-driven improvement in health care delivery.
Thank you to all our members that were able to attend. For those unable to make it live the recording is available on the members’ area.
Whole Business Team Day Focuses on Customers and Collaboration
The NHS Benchmarking Network held a whole business team day on 10th June, bringing the full team together for a productive and energising session focused on development and team collaboration.
The NHS Benchmarking Network held a whole business team day on 10th June, bringing the full team together for a productive and energising session focused on development and team collaboration.
The day began with a business update, providing colleagues with a comprehensive overview of NHSBN’s current progress and future direction.
Understanding our Customers with The Foundation
We were delighted to welcome The Foundation, a consultancy that helps organisations understand and connect with their customers. The thought-provoking session explored how we define our customers and how we can map their decision-making journeys. Through discussions, the session encouraged us to reflect on who our customers are, how they engage with our services, and how we can better meet their needs.
Lego Building Masters
To inject energy and creativity into the day, EML Team Building led a fun and challenging Lego Master Builders activity. This exercise challenged our problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills in a unique and light-hearted way. It offered a great opportunity for cross-team engagement and reminded us of the power of teamwork.
The day was a great opportunity to pause and align around our shared goals and purpose. Thank you to The Foundation and EML Team Building for supporting a dynamic and inspiring session.
NHS Benchmarking Network Announces Change of Network Host
The NHS Benchmarking Network is pleased to announce that Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C) will become our new Network host, taking over from East London NHS Foundation Trust…
The NHS Benchmarking Network is pleased to announce that Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C) will become our new Network Host, taking over from East London NHS Foundation Trust. This transition was formally announced at our AGM yesterday.
We would like to express our thanks to East London NHS Foundation Trust for their exceptional support and partnership during their tenure as our Host. Their contributions have been instrumental in advancing our projects and supporting our stakeholders.
Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust will officially take on the role as our Network Host in August 2025. This transition marks an exciting new chapter for the Network as we continue to grow and evolve, further enhancing our benchmarking capabilities and expanding our support for members. Keep an eye out for future news introducing Norfolk Community Health and Care Trust, providing insights into their role and vision for the Network moving forward.
We look forward to this new partnership and the opportunities it will bring.
If you have any questions regarding this transition, please check out our FAQs below or reach out to us.
FAQs
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There will be no disruption or change to the current service and experience. Moving forward, invoices will be issued by Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust. Members will receive instructions to set up the Trust as a supplier ahead of the next membership year.
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Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust will officially take over as host on 8th August 2025.
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Yes, the NHSBN Support Team will remain the same.
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All current processes and policies remain. Norfolk Community Health & Care Trust will replace East London Foundation Trust as the data controller.
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If you have any questions, please contact enquiry@nhsbenchmarking.nhs.uk.
Sarah Atkinson to step back from Director role at NHS Benchmarking Network
We would like to share that Sarah Atkinson will be stepping back from her role as Director of the NHS Benchmarking Network. Sarah will continue to support the team in an advisory capacity while also taking the opportunity to enjoy more precious time with her family.
We would like to announce that Sarah Atkinson will be stepping back from her role as Director of the NHS Benchmarking Network. Sarah will continue to support the team in an ambassador role, thus gaining some precious time to spend with her family.
Since joining NHSBN in 2020, Sarah has played a pivotal role in shaping and advancing our benchmarking programmes, driving improvements across health and care services, and strengthening collaborations. Sarah’s leadership and vision have had a lasting impact on the organisation and our members, participants, and stakeholders. A big part of this has been developing a talented team, who led by the Senior Leadership Team, remains committed to delivering high-quality programmes of work and maximising the impact the Network has.
We extend our sincere gratitude to Sarah for her dedication and continued contribution.
Statement from the NHS Benchmarking Network
Following the recent announcement from NHS England, we would like to reassure our members that the NHS Benchmarking Network member programme operates independently from NHS England.
Following the recent announcement from NHS England, we would like to reassure our members that the NHS Benchmarking Network member programme operates independently from NHS England. While we work closely with NHS England and are commissioned to deliver a number of projects on their behalf, the NHS Benchmarking Network Member Programme is not affected by the recent changes. We have been supporting NHS organisations for almost 30 years and have remained a consistent and reliable partner through numerous NHS restructures and will continue to provide the same level of service moving forward.
We are fully committed to continuing our work with members during this period of change, ensuring you gain the maximum value from your membership.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at enquiry@nhsbenchmarking.nhs.uk
CVDPREVENT in Dublin: The team present at the National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA) conference
NHSBN’s audit team is part of a clinical audit community, with teams across the world collecting and reporting clinical data with the aim of improving services and care for patients.
NHSBN’s audit team is part of a clinical audit community, with teams across the world collecting and reporting clinical data with the aim of improving services and care for patients. Together, we can share our successes, discuss our challenges and collaborate, in order to perfect what we do and innovate new processes. That’s exactly what we were able to do when NOCA invited the CVDPREVENT team to join them and present at their annual conference.
About NOCA and their annual conference
NOCA manages national clinical audits in Ireland that aim to improve patient care and outcomes. NOCA’s findings enable the healthcare system to act to improve care where standards are not followed. Each audit focuses on a unique area of healthcare such as hip fracture, major trauma, hospital mortality, ICU care and joint replacements.
The team at NOCA run an annual conference with the theme for 2025 stated as ‘Data-Driven Healthcare: Planning, Delivering, Improving’. This in-person event is an excellent opportunity to network with individuals and teams that work with clinical data and understand the impact it can have.
Presenting the CVDPREVENT audit: a topic that’s close to our hearts
The CVDPREVENT team were delighted to be invited to present at the conference in Dublin in February 2025. Just a short journey over from Manchester, the team hopped on a flight to Dublin to visit the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland where the conference was held.
Opportunities like this give us a moment to reflect on the process of setting up projects such as CVDPREVENT, England’s national clinical audit of cardiovascular disease prevention in primary care. There were definitely challenges along the way as we navigated the collection of data from millions of patients as well as the development and design of a reporting tool with a wide range of users. Being able to share what we did and how we overcame barriers is a great reminder of how far we have come and makes us revisit our aspirations!
As a team, it’s important for us to refocus on our overall goal to use data to support the prevention of CVD in England. We know how much this matters to patients and carers who have lived experiences of CVD, a condition that can often have a sudden and substantial impact on individuals and their friends and family. At the NOCA conference we were able to share our insights into CVD prevention and highlight where our data shows opportunities for improvement.
Learning from others
The NOCA conference was a fantastic opportunity for us to learn from others and talk to like-minded people who have experience with clinical audit and data. We would like to thank the NOCA team for inviting us to such an insightful event, inspiring us to continue to innovate and develop our clinical audits!
Launching 2025/26: Explore our vision, objectives and opportunities for members
As we kick off the 2025/26 year, we have refreshed our vision and objectives to align with the evolving needs of our members and the wider health and care landscape.
As we kick off the 2025/26 year, we have refreshed our vision and objectives to align with the evolving needs of our members and the wider health and care landscape.
Our vision, values and objectives support our governance structure for the effective and efficient operation of the Network.
Click on the sections below to see our vision, values and objectives for 2025/26.
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To enable members to improve patient outcomes, raise health standards and deliver sustainable quality health and care services through data excellence, benchmarking and the sharing of innovation.
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Excellence – Always striving to be the best we can be, in everything we do
Respect – Value everyone, acknowledge members’ unique experiences, work together to deliver improvement
Integrity – Be transparent, be realistic, be honest
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Put our members, stakeholders and participants at the heart of who we are, building and maintaining the Network’s reputation for excellence.
Work together, enabling curiosity by ensuring strong connections with and between stakeholders, creating benchmarking communities through education and positive relationships.
Actively seek to build a sustainable Network through value for money, relevant and meaningful insight and support.
Provide additional opportunities for members and stakeholders to gain bespoke support and insight into relevant priority areas, building on the core benchmarking programmes.
Make data validity and reliability the core of our work programmes to support finding the answer to the ‘so what’ question.
Maximise project participation and engagement, ensuring that data collections are appropriate and proportionate.
Develop new solutions by investing in technology to the benefit of all stakeholders.
2025/26 member programme
The 2025/26 member programme is now live! Projects are open for registration via the members’ area, and for some, data collection will begin imminently. Be sure to check the programme timetable for key project dates.
If you missed our programme launch webinar in March, you can watch the recording anytime in the members’ area.
2024/25 year in numbers
This year we’ve welcomed new member organisations, seen thousands of users actively accessing our members' area, and delivered impactful projects and resources. From hosting well-attended events to launching new tools and sharing valuable insights, our members have demonstrated a commitment to collaboration and innovation. The impressive participation in knowledge and code sharing highlights the collective effort to drive progress. Take a look at our year in numbers…
Not a member? Join the NHS Benchmarking Network to gain access to our benchmarking projects, data insights, and networking opportunities. Our member programme helps organisations improve services, drive innovation and share best practice.
Get in touch today to find out how your organisation can benefit.
Access update to our show codes feature!
In response to member feedback, we have expanded access to our show codes feature. Previously restricted to certain users, this feature is now accessible to all users within a submitting member organisation*.
In response to member feedback, we have expanded access to our show codes feature. Previously restricted to certain users, this feature is now accessible to all users within a submitting member organisation*.
What is the show codes feature?
This feature is available to submitting member organisations* under our Terms of Membership. It allows users from these member organisations* to access the unique identifier codes of their peers*, fostering greater collaboration and insight in our benchmarking projects.
How to access the show codes feature
Accessing project outputs and submission codes is straightforward. Follow these steps:
Log in to the NHSBN members’ area using your login credentials.
Navigate to the project output page of a project that your organisation has participated in.
Open the full project toolkit and select the latest year.
Look for the “show codes” button at the top of the toolkit.
Click on the button to reveal the list of submitting members* who have submitted data for that project. Their unique identifier codes and project lead details will be displayed to support networking and collaboration.
We hope this update makes it easier for members to connect with peers and gain valuable insights from our benchmarking projects. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
*Please note that some submitting members may have opted out of data sharing, meaning their identifier codes will not be displayed and this feature will not be available to their users.