This publication presents NHS Productivity Growth Estimates for all secondary care NHS trusts in England.
NHS productivity is measured by comparing outputs relative to inputs and is based on well‑established concepts used across the wider economy. In a healthcare context, productivity can be summarised as the amount of activity the NHS delivers (such as appointments, procedures, and diagnostic tests) relative to the resources used to deliver that activity (including staff, consumables, and buildings). In broad terms, productivity growth occurs when the volume of outputs increases by more than the volume of inputs, or when the same level of output is delivered using fewer inputs.
Measuring productivity is important because it helps describe how public resources are utilised and can provide insight into the extent to which public services are delivering value for money. The NHS 10 Year Health Plan sets the NHS a target of delivering a 2% year-on-year productivity gain for the next three years. This publication provides a monthly estimate of productivity for individual NHS trusts and is produced by NHS England as management information. The NHS Productivity Growth Estimate measures changes in both inputs and outputs for each trust and the productivity growth implied by those changes.
There is no single definitive way to measure productivity. Methodological decisions can generate changes in values and there are known issues relating to the quality of data reporting. This is a new metric, and we welcome feedback on both the methodology and the tables published. Please send comments and suggestions to: [email protected]