“Specialist nurses can, do and should write business cases.” -

Business Planning

Business cases are not the exclusive preserve of accountants or finance directors because writing a business case is the way in which you can make a case for buying a new piece of equipment for your service, appoint an extra member of staff to meet increasing demand or get your new nurse led service commissioned.

A business case tells people about the what, when, where, how and why of your proposed project and seeks the authorisation to fund the project. Rather than becoming overwhelmed by the formality of a business case, view it as your story and as such, you are in a far better position to sell your service idea than a non nurse manager who doesn’t really understand the intricacies of your service like you do. This simple infographic walks you through the 6 key questions you need to ask yourself to clarify your thinking before you write your business case.

Most NHS Trusts will have a Business Case template, these are often long and appear complicated. Do not be intimidated by the template, many of the headings will not be applicable to your proposal. Have a look at the template below  ’The right first time nursing business case’.  This explains clearly and simply what your business case should focus on.

Bearing in mind the advice in the ’The right time first nursing business case’, you can use your Trust’s business case template, to clearly and succinctly put forward your idea. In the example Common Business Case Headings you will find a brief summary of what goes in each section. We have been given permission to share this Business Plan, Business Case for the Expansion and Development of Acute Medical Unit (AMU) and Ambulatory Care Unit (ACU), which was written by Wendy Preston, Nurse Consultant at George Eliot Hospital. The business case is comprehensive and will no doubt prove an invaluable resource for you.

Next time you have a great idea for your service, instead of keeping it to yourself, why not write a business case and share your ideas, the worst that can happen is somebody says no, but there is also the strong possibility that they will say yes!