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NHS Finance Careers

The NHS is one of the largest employers in the world employing around 1.3 million people in a variety of different roles across hundreds of healthcare providers, Integrated Care Boards and NHS regulators. Finance is involved in everything the NHS does and most importantly contributes to the care of patients.  We want to help you find your rewarding finance career of choice within the NHS.

Whether you are a school/college leaver, graduate, looking for a career change or just want to gain entry into employment in the NHS there are a number of different opportunities and ways to join an NHS Finance team.   As well a specific training schemes (such as some of the ones mentioned in the entry routes section of the site) which provide a structured training programme, people can also join any NHS finance department directly.  There is no single career path for NHS finance staff, a career in NHS Finance can cater for all.

Watch the animation below which gives you an idea about some of the roles and opportunities NHS finance has to offer.

The Structure of the NHS and how the Money Flows

Healthcare receives the largest amount of pre-allocated public money, £1 in every £5 of government spending is spent on healthcare; despite the large amounts of money given to the NHS, this is still a finite resource. The NHS Finance Function must be expert in the financial planning, analysis, management, and control of those funds to ensure the efficient use of public money. You could be part of a team that has a vital role to play in supporting the delivery of world class healthcare.

The NHS grapples with an ever-increasing expenditure commitment due to a combination of an ageing population with increasingly complex healthcare needs, advancing scientific understanding in medical sciences coupled with increasing pharmaceutical costs. As this increase in expenditure has not been met by the same rise in allocated funding, the NHS has undergone numerous reforms over the years to meet this challenge. 

Have a watch of the animation below which explains how the NHS is structured, how it gets its money and how the money flows from Parliament all the way down to patient care.  The map to the right illustrates the 42 Integrated Care Systems in 7 different regions.

What could a career in NHS Finance offer you?

Recruitment for finance roles is happening right now, and a career with the NHS can offer a fantastic array of opportunities to progress quickly with rewarding benefits.

Find out More

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