The live course covers eight connected areas, helping you see how the NHS in England operates as a system and how that affects decisions within individual organisations.
01
How the NHS in England is organised
Understand the different levels of the NHS, from the wider system to individual organisations, and how providers, commissioners and other bodies fit together.
02
Commissioning and service planning
Understand the purpose of commissioning, how healthcare needs and priorities influence service planning, and how funding decisions affect what organisations provide.
03
Trust boards, committees and accountability
Explore how NHS organisations are governed, the roles of boards and committees, where authority sits, and how matters are escalated through appropriate channels.
04
How NHS decisions are made
Follow the journey from a proposal or service concern to a decision. Identify who needs to be involved, how approval routes work and how you can contribute constructively.
05
Funding flows and payment models
Understand where NHS funding comes from, how money moves through the system, and how different payment arrangements—including the historical Payment by Results model—have shaped organisational priorities.
06
Contracts, specifications and performance
Learn how contracts, service specifications, key performance indicators and targets influence expectations, accountability and the assessment of how services are performing.
07
NHS budgets and financial pressures
Become more comfortable interpreting budgets and basic financial reports, understanding cost pressures and discussing cost improvement programmes without needing to be a finance specialist.
08
Business cases and service development
Understand how an improvement proposal becomes a business case, what information decision-makers need and how ideas move through the financial and governance approval process.
From understanding the NHS to influencing decisions
Understanding how the NHS works is one thing. Knowing how to use that knowledge to make things happen is another.
Whether you are proposing a new clinical pathway, seeking support for a service improvement or making the case for additional resources, you need to understand who makes the decisions, what drives organisational priorities and what evidence will make your proposal credible.
This course helps you navigate those processes, anticipate the financial and organisational questions you may face, and contribute to discussions with greater confidence and authority.
