Introduction from the Chair
Introduction from Sue Douthwaite, Chair of the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA)
Dear Applicant,
The NHS Business Service Authority is an innovative and forward-thinking Arm’s Length Body within the Department of Health and Social Care with IT and digital development at the core of its ambitious strategy.
Its support for the NHS Long Term Plan and key Government priorities is centred around the national agenda on workforce, technology, and prevention. It uses data to inform workforce planning across the NHS, to improve assurance about NHS providers, and to reduce fraud and error. The insights it brings through its internationally recognised analytics team and cutting-edge digital developments is helping it to realise the ambition of being a catalyst for better health.
The NHS BSA is agile and responsive and during the COVID pandemic, for instance, played a leading role on the national stage – rapidly establishing many new services to support citizens throughout the UK and providing NHS organisations and front-line staff with the infrastructure they require during a time of great need. These were delivered in a timely and effective way across the whole of the UK.
The energy with which the organisation has responded, and its highly effective collaboration with key partners, has been recognised nationally, and is setting the tone for the way in which the health and social care system will operate in the future.
There is a strong and empowered executive leadership team driven by a positive organisational culture, operational excellence, and people centric delivery. The Board is a highly engaged and important part of the organisation’s business governance. The contribution from its non-executives is central to providing the challenge, support and assurance required for taking the NHS Business Services Authority forward with its ambitious agenda.
Sue Douthwaite
Chair of NHSBSA
May 2023
Appointment description
Ministers are seeking to make up to 3 appointments to the board of the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA).
The NHSBSA is an Arm’s Length Body of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), responsible for providing platforms and delivering services which support the priorities of the NHS, Government and local health economies, and in doing so manages around £39 billions of NHS spend annually. These are delivered nationally and at scale, and by digitising services and utilising leading-edge technology, the business delivers taxpayer value, providing huge savings for the NHS.
As a Non-Executive Director on the NHSBSA Board, you will play a key role in driving continuous organisational improvement and performance, customer focus and service delivery through scrutiny, challenge, fairness, accountability, and effective corporate governance.
This is an opportunity to operate at national level and support the delivery of a wide range of critical business services to the NHS and citizens that have a tangible impact on people’s lives. The core responsibilities of the role are as follows:
- Provide an independent view and creative contribution at Board meetings and sub committees in the pursuit of delivering the NHSBSA’s strategic vision (to be the delivery partner of choice for the health and care system) and underpinning business plans to support delivery of the DHSC’s priorities.
- Monitor and challenge the performance of the NHSBSA’s executive management, holding it to account for the delivery of the strategic vision, organisational priorities and business plan objectives, and other central government requirements.
- Build and maintain influential relationships with key partners, building strategic alliances across the health and social care system to improve efficiency and develop value-add services ensuring the needs of service users are met.
- Role model the NHSBSA’s values (collaborative, adventurous, reliable, and energetic) and ensure that the organisation promotes equality and diversity and accessibility for all service users, staff and other stakeholders.
Organisation description
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) is a Special Health Authority and Arms-Length Body of the Department of Health and Social Care. NHSBSA employs around 3000 people, with sites in Newcastle, Wakefield, Fleetwood, Bolton and Eastbourne. Michael Brodie became Chief Executive Officer of NHSBSA in September 2019 and has developed an ambitious strategy for the business, expanding NHSBSAs focus across the wider health sector to ensure its strategy aligns with the long-term plan and future direction of travel for the NHS and Social Care.
NHSBSA delivers high volume, predominantly transactional services on behalf of the NHS and, since it was formed, has progressively taken on more operational functions. Since 2018, NHSBSA has supported work relating to EU Exit and other services, for example digitisation of the Healthy Food Scheme, NHS Student Support and Vaccine Damage Payments. In response to the COVID pandemic, NHSBSA has been leading over fifty national projects – working closely with its NHS partners to support UK citizens and front-line staff.
NHSBSA’s services are broadly split into 3 areas: Primary Care Services, Citizen Services and Workforce Services.
- Primary Care Services include processing around 1 billion prescription items per year for pharmacists who have dispensed prescriptions in England and managing payments to dentists for NHS work in England and Wales, processing around 44 million forms a year. Since 2015 NHSBSA has provided a scanning service, digitising medical records to release space for frontline patient care. It also provides a Provider Assurance service on behalf of NHS England.
- Citizen services include managing NHS student and social work bursaries in England, help with health costs including administering medical exemption certificates, maternity exemption certificates, prescription pre-payment certificates and the low-income scheme. NHSBSA is responsible for administering European Health Insurance Cards and in 2018 took over the full Overseas Health Service from the Department of Work and Pensions.
- Workforce Services - NHSBSA administers the NHS Pension scheme for 2.6 million members and in April 2018 it also took responsibility of the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and NHS Jobs - the national portal for advertising NHS job vacancies, meaning that it provides the full hire to retire journey for NHS Employees. NHSBSA also provides HR Shared Services to its client base.
- Workforce planning is a key area of NHSBSAs strategy with a number of system developments currently ongoing including development of NHS Jobs (the main job advertisement and recruitment portal for NHS organisations), a smartphone app for NHS Employees called ‘NHSLife’ and the ‘My NHS Pension’ self-service portal which provides users quick and easy access to their pension information and the facility to calculate what their pension will be depending on what age they retire.
Over the last two years NHSBSA has developed its data analytics and digital capability to save money for taxpayers and improve how patients can use its services through apps and other on-line services. Between 2013 and March 2019 NHSBSA ran the Pacific Programme, using insight from its data and specialist expertise to release £1bn for reinvestment into the NHS. Identifying health system-wide savings is now embedded in the culture of NHSBSA. This programme has been expanded and aims to save the NHS in excess of £250m – releasing resources for front-line services.
NHSBSA’s purpose is to be a catalyst for better health and to use its data and insight to add value to the wider health system. NHSBSA’s strategy has been developed to focus more on people and collaboration with key partners. Its strategic ambitions include:
- Transform national platforms which support the career pathway of health and care colleagues
- Help people to live longer and healthier lives, reducing disparities in health and care
- Support the NHS and health and care system to deliver greater efficiencies
Board composition
There are usually 8 board meetings held a year in Newcastle with up-and-coming dates to be confirmed once candidates have been appointed. Please note that the Chair and the Chief Executive are based in Huddersfield and Newcastle.
Regulation of appointment
This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the
Commissioner’s websiteEssential criteria
To be considered, you must be able to demonstrate that you have the qualities, skills, and experience to meet all the essential criteria for appointment.
- A career record of achievement, with an ability to operate effectively as a Non-Executive Director on the board of a high-profile national organisation.
- An ability to focus on innovation, digitisation, technology, data, culture change, and change management.
- A strong commitment to the BSA’s vision and strategy and an appreciation of the needs of the BSA’s customers, with a grasp of evolving policy and trends that affect service delivery.
- An ability to guide the BSA’s strategic direction, and use sound judgement, based on th ability to consider and challenge complex issues from an impartial and balanced viewpoint.
- Good communication skills, with the ability to work as part of a team, with a positive and constructive style, challenging management recommendations where necessary.
Desirable criteria
We would welcome candidates with skills and experience in one or more of the following areas:
Organisational transformation, enabled through digitisation and technology:
- Experience of transforming the way services is delivered, providing end to end digital solutions that are designed with the customer at the centre.
Working with a range of stakeholders and experience of working in Government / the Civil Service or the NHS:
- Knowledge and experience of engaging effectively with a range of stakeholders and working within one or more of central government; government agencies; the civil service; or the NHS.
Public sector pensions:
- Knowledge and experience of public sector pension scheme administration.
