Making a business case in healthcare: the value of careful consideration

A well thought-out business case offers an opportunity for clinicians to bring about evidenced-based change in clinical practice. It is a powerful tool that can have a significant impact on healthcare services and patient outcomes, while also offering desirable solutions to the NHS, which is facing growing healthcare demands on increasingly limited resources. The role of a business case is to justify the need for change, argue its value, gain support from leadership and illustrate how it can be sustainably implemented. This article guides clinicians through the process of producing a successful business case using the five-case model, which can be applied to the majority of improvement projects or services in healthcare settings. Clinicians might use this guide to support the development of a case to make a change in their own workplace or to help them take a full part in wider system changes.