Trust-level productivity growth estimates and in-year financial positions
About this measure: This is the NHS England trust-level productivity growth estimate, first published 12 February 2026. It compares cost-weighted activity growth (outputs) with real-terms resource growth (inputs). The Spending Review 2025 sets a target of 2% year-on-year productivity growth, with the aim of returning to pre-pandemic productivity levels by the end of the parliament. Figures are standalone monthly year-on-year growth rates (not cumulative); the full-year figures on this page are calculated by the Shelford secretariat as the mean of the 12 months now marked "Final Revised" by NHS England. This is experimental management information — see the full methodology.
Interpretation note: All 12 months of 2025/26 are now "Final Revised" by NHS England (published 13 August 2026), superseding the previously provisional March figure. Sheffield's early-year figures (Apr–Jun 2025) remain volatile, likely reflecting data restatement effects, and its productivity growth has been negative every month since August 2025.
2026/27 Year to Date – April to June 2026 (Provisional)
Source: NHS England Productivity Growth Estimate, April–June 2026, Provisional (published 8 October 2026), Tables 1a–1c (trusts and England) and Table 2a (Acute & Specialist). Year-to-date figures are calculated by the Shelford secretariat as the mean of the three provisional monthly year-on-year estimates.
Not directly comparable with 2025/26: NHS England has updated the methodology for its 2026/27 estimates (Table 1a, note 5), so the April–June 2026 figures below should not be read as a continuation of the 2025/26 full-year series further down this page. All three months are provisional and may be revised. Sheffield is flagged by NHS England for potential data issues affecting its activity estimate, and for an adjustment to its resource estimate; its figures should be read with caution. King's high productivity growth reflects a large fall in real-terms resource use (inputs down 7.6%) with broadly flat activity, rather than higher output.
Shelford Group Average
+1.9%
Apr–Jun 2026 mean · monthly: +2.0% / +1.7% / +2.1%
England Average
+1.9%
All NHS providers, same period
Spending Review Target
2.0%
Year-on-year target from SR25
Acute & Specialist (National)
+1.2%
Provider type benchmark, Apr–Jun 2026 mean
Trust
Apr 2026
May 2026
Jun 2026
Productivity (Apr–Jun mean)
Output Growth (CWA)
Input Growth (Resource)
All figures provisional, % year-on-year. † Sheffield flagged by NHS England for potential data issues (Tables 1a–1c notes). Output and input columns are Apr–Jun means of Tables 1b and 1c.
Headline Productivity – 2025/26 Full Year (Apr–Mar)
Source: NHS England Productivity Growth Estimate, April 2025–March 2026, Final Revised (published 13 August 2026). Full-year figures are calculated as the mean of the 12 "Final Revised" monthly estimates (cross-checked against mean output growth minus mean input growth); standalone monthly figures are shown in the trend chart below.
Shelford Group Average
+3.6%
Productivity growth, 2025/26 full-year average
England Average
+3.6%
All NHS providers, same period
Spending Review Target
2.0%
Year-on-year target from SR25
Acute & Specialist (National)
+3.0%
Provider type benchmark
Trust-Level Productivity Growth – 2025/26 Full Year
Source: NHS England Productivity Growth Estimate, April 2025–March 2026, Final Revised (published 13 August 2026), full-year figures calculated as described above. All figures are provisional. Sheffield, King's, Oxford and UCLH are flagged by NHS England for known Community Services Data Set (CSDS) data quality issues that may affect their estimates.
Trust
Productivity Growth
Output Growth (CWA)
Input Growth (Resource)
Productivity Growth by Trust – 2025/26 Full Year
Source: NHS England Productivity Growth Estimate. Dashed line = 2% Spending Review target. England full-year average = 3.6%.
Output Growth vs Input Growth – 2025/26 Full Year
Source: NHS England Productivity Growth Estimate. Productivity is positive when the teal bar (output) exceeds the grey bar (input). Newcastle is now the only Shelford trust where full-year input growth exceeds output growth.
Productivity Growth Trends – April 2025 to March 2026 (Monthly)
Source: NHS England Productivity Growth Estimate, Final Revised (published 13 August 2026). Each point is a standalone monthly year-on-year growth estimate (not cumulative) — this is why lines can swing month to month rather than converge.
