NHS buyers like your product but cannot justify the budget
When procurement teams face competing priorities, a qualitative value story loses every time. Without a quantified, NHS-formatted business case, your solution is permanently 'next year'.
- steps
- 8
- steps
- to start
- 2 hours
- to start
The short answer
NHS budget holders do not buy clinical benefit. They buy cash released, capacity created or a cost avoided that they are already measured on. Build a one-page value case in their units, with their own baseline data, and be honest about which of the three it is: most products release capacity, not cash, and claiming otherwise loses finance at once.
8 steps
Do it yourself: step by step
0 of 8 done
Decide whether your product is cash-releasing (a budget line goes down), capacity-releasing (the same staff do more) or cost-avoiding (future activity is prevented). Write one sentence for each that applies
- Time
- 2 hours
- Typical cost
- Free
- Who does it
- Founder
Done when: You can say which type is primary without hedging
This problem is Solvable.
Copy this template
One-page NHS value case
Free to copy, adapt and use. No sign-up.
Value case: [product] at [trust or service]
Prepared for: [budget holder name, role] Date: [dd/mm/yyyy] Version: [x], reviewed by [finance business partner name]
Headline
- Type of value: [cash-releasing / capacity-releasing / cost-avoiding]
- Net 3-year impact (central case): £[x]
- Payback period: [x] months
- Low case still covers cost: [yes / no]
The problem in your numbers
- [Metric, e.g. 4,200 routine follow-ups a year] (source: [service data, period])
- [Metric, e.g. DNA rate 9%] (source: [x])
- [Unit cost, e.g. £[x] per follow-up] (source: [local tariff / National Cost Collection year])
What changes
| Baseline | With [product] (central) | Basis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Activity metric] | [x] | [y] | [study or pilot, n=] |
| Staff time | [x] hours | [y] hours | [x] |
| [Second metric] | [x] | [y] | [x] |
Money
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross benefit | £[x] | £[x] | £[x] |
| Our licence | £[x] | £[x] | £[x] |
| Implementation and training | £[x] | £0 | £0 |
| Net | £[x] | £[x] | £[x] |
Low case: £[x]. High case: £[x].
What the released capacity will be used for
[e.g. 2 extra clinics a week, reducing the waiting list by [x] patients]
Risks and how we share them
- [Risk, e.g. uptake below 60%]: [mitigation, e.g. licence fee reduces if uptake target missed]
What we need from you
- Decision by [date] to start on [date] within this financial year.
- [Data access / IG sign-off / named operational lead].
Avoid these
Common mistakes
- Calling capacity release a cash saving, which finance teams spot immediately.
- Using national averages when the service would have given you its own data.
- Presenting the value case to the clinical champion and never to the budget holder.
- Showing a 5-year return to a buyer judged on this financial year.
- Leaving implementation, training and backfill time out of the cost side.
Free personal check
Done by Paul Robinson, not software
I'll read your value case as an NHS finance lead would and show you what they'll push back on
What I need from you
- Your value case or ROI slide
- Who the budget holder is, if you know
- One line on what you sell
What you get
- Whether you're claiming cash, capacity or cost avoided, and if it holds
- The assumptions finance will challenge
- The three changes that matter most
Within 2 working days
No sign-in, no sales call. I read every request myself and reply on WhatsApp.
Free tools
Check where you stand
Benchmarks
22%
HealthTech companies that have removed products from sale because the price the NHS was prepared to pay was below cost (2024 survey)
Standard 17: budget impact analysis for all tiers (A, B and C). Standard 18: cost-effectiveness analysis for technologies with higher financial risk
NICE Evidence Standards Framework for digital health technologies
Source: NICE ECD7
12 to 24 months
Payback window most NHS finance teams will entertain for a new revenue commitment
Solvable estimate
Paul Robinson
14 years in UK private healthcare
I solve this one for healthcare companies
Want a hand? I'll look at your situation and tell you the three things I'd tackle first.
A few quick questions, about two minutes. I read every one myself and usually reply the same day.
No sales call unless you ask for one. Just a straight answer from me.
I reply personally, usually the same day.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a full cost-effectiveness model?
Not usually for a first sale. A clear budget impact model in the buyer's units does more. Higher-cost or higher-risk products will be asked for cost-effectiveness, in line with NICE's evidence standards.
What if the saving falls in someone else's budget?
Say so, and find the person who owns both budgets, often at divisional or ICB level. Cross-budget savings are one of the commonest reasons good products stall.
Where do unit costs come from?
Ask the service first. Otherwise use NHS England's National Cost Collection and label the year.
Should I guarantee savings?
Only through a risk-share you can afford. A fee linked to a measurable metric is more credible than a guarantee.
Does this work for independent providers?
Yes, but rebuild it in their units: margin per case, theatre utilisation, length of stay on set-price packages and consultant retention.
Last reviewed:
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