Established in 1996, the NHS Benchmarking Network is a member community of health and social care providers and commissioners, and like-minded organisations. The Network delivers national and bespoke benchmarking projects to support planning and service improvement across the acute, community, and mental health, learning disabilities and autism sectors

Our vision is 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.

Health and Care Workforce Benchmarking Programme

The NHS Benchmarking Network works in collaboration with NHS England Workforce, Training and Education Directorate (NHSE WT&E) to deliver a health and care workforce benchmarking programme.

This work programme supports participants to ensure workforce is of the right size, in the right place and has the right skills, which is essential for meeting population needs and underpins the ambitious transformation plans set out in key healthcare policy documents.

Key Principles for 2025/26 Programme

• Data collection is seamless and straightforward, reducing the chances of data entry errors

• Data burden on participants is reduced wherever possible

• Combine programme data to produce unique solutions

• High-quality and timely outputs

• Not for performance monitoring purposes

• NHSBN Workforce Census is recognised as the trusted source of workforce benchmarking data

• The significant role Non-NHS Participants across health and social care play in the delivery of services is recognised

• Effective collaboration between NHSBN and NHSE

• Participant engagement is put into focus

Member Work Programme

The NHS Benchmarking Network’s member work programme comprises of a wide range of benchmarking projects on topics covering but not limited to: Pharmacy, Outpatients, Virtual Wards, Children and Young People’s and Adult & Older People’s Mental Health. Members can look forward to engaging projects, interactive events and insightful data aimed at addressing key challenges and delivering opportunities across all sectors of the NHS. The member work programme is approved by the Network Steering Group following extensive consultations with the sector based Reference Groups and with members on the topics to be included in the programme.

Insight and Analytics

The NHS Benchmarking Network is able to provide bespoke services. 

Our bespoke services are constructed collaboratively to provide comprehensive and coherent evidence to support both planning and delivery.

National Audits

The NHS Benchmarking Network has an established position as a provider of National Audits. Teaming up with partners across primary care, acute, community and the mental health, learning disability and autism settings, the Network are best placed for insight and intelligence to underpin improvement work.

The NHS Benchmarking Network are currently partners in three National Audits, CVDPREVENT, the National Audit of Care at the End of Life and NHS England Learning Disability Improvement Standards.