From: DHSCAssessment date: 07/05/2026Stage: AlphaResult: Green Service provider: NHS Business Service Authority (BSA)
Service descriptionThis service aims to solve the problem of..
A legacy and inaccessible payroll (and associated service) for NHS staff Service usersThis service is for…
NHS staff The NHS staff who manage NHS employees The NHS staff in HR and payroll functions who administer the system Report contents Understand users and their needs Solve a whole problem for users Provide a joined-up experience across all channels Make the service simple to use Make sure everyone can use the service Have a multidisciplinary team Use agile ways of working Iterate and improve frequently Create a secure service which protects users’ privacy Define what success looks like and publish performance data Choose the right tools and technology Make new source code open Use and contribute to open standards, common components and patterns Operate a reliable service 1. Understand users and their needs DecisionThe service was rated green for point 1 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
The team focused on Kate’s journey [individual employee] and her touch points with the other 2 personas, but it would have been good to see the journeys for Ash [HR] and Sarah [People manager] It would be good to see the user needs included and referred to within the artefact to aid comprehension and foster a deeper understanding of the journey and the user needs. It would have been good to see personas which include goals and motivations, frustrations and fears, not just the associated user needs, it is understood that they are ‘high level’ however, Clarify how the transition from legacy to new system will be managed for the different personas and any stage gating in the release to support re-risking the transition. This was implied but not explicit within the release plans: how the data and user experience workstream segue with each other. Consider for Beta presentations showing each of the main persona's experience across the functional working groups. This will demonstrate how each user requires the coordinated functions, and has their whole problem solved. To build on this and to better understand emotional and practical user needs, it would have been good to see: empathy maps for the 3 personas to gain a deeper understanding of 3 users' groups by organising research into the four quadrants: Says, Thinks, Does and Feels. Noted that there appears to have been more of a reliance on Attitudinal research combined with a survey with 500+ users during this Alpha. It will be good to see more behavioural research in the next phase when they move the designs from Figma. 2. Solve a whole problem for users DecisionThe service was rated green for point 2 of the Standard.
3. Provide a joined-up experience across all channels DecisionThe service was rated green for point 3 of the Standard.
4. Make the service simple to use DecisionThe service was rated green for point 4 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
Build connections with NHS Digital design community, for example, by holding design crits with NHS designers. 5. Make sure everyone can use the service DecisionThe service was rated green for point 5 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
Demonstrate how the use case of users who do not have a smart phone, tablet or computer has been explored and reference any constraints. Show an understanding of access needs in this area. Demonstrate testing the service with a broad spectrum of users on different devices. Explore the topic of digital literacy to enable a clear understanding of the digital literacy of service users. 6. Have a multidisciplinary team DecisionThe service was rated green for point 6 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
Engage with central NHS data architecture functions to ensure alignment of workforce data standards and definitions making an active gateway decision point on point of alignment. During Beta involve a content designer in the team, the content designer should review all content designed for the service, for example, button label text. 7. Use agile ways of working DecisionThe service was rated green for point 7 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
Consider release management approach to ensure that the operating model, with sprints, user research and active stakeholder signoff is manifesting in benefits for end users. Consider reviewing non-functional requirements in the context of user experience reports to ensure optimisation of spend on cloud services in early releases. A standard may exist for example for payroll and banking requirements [HR user] that may not be as critical for a user [individual employees] waiting for their payslip on the bus. Consider presenting the outcome of the core System integration test (SIT) and first user acceptance test for private Beta, this will evidence the data is flowing before full, core functionality is enabled widely, which will de-risk overall and support in benefit realisation go/no-go decisions for users earlier in the programme. 8. Iterate and improve frequently DecisionThe service was rated green for point 8 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
Show examples of design iteration made in response to user testing. Consider release management strategy with features that already improve a user's experience, from a broader audience with the access protocol explained. Is there a minimum capability that can be released to test. 9. Create a secure service which protects users’ privacy DecisionThe service was rated green for point 9 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
Engage with the NHS central data access standard architect to ensure alignment with central data architecture design and management. 10. Define what success looks like and publish performance data DecisionThe service was rated green for point 10 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
Consider evidencing the comprehensive suite of analytics available on user demography, experience and programme delivery metrics further at Beta with plan for publishing relevant data to support public buy-in of the investment. Particularly in relation to the service standard requirement to publish in the open: data.gov.uk - The home of UK public data 11. Choose the right tools and technology DecisionThe service was rated green for point 11 of the Standard.
12. Make new source code open DecisionThe service was rated green for point 12 of the Standard.
13. Use and contribute to open standards, common components and patterns DecisionThe service was rated green for point 13 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
Keep engaging with NHS workforce data standard development within the service and access control models that reflect the designed proposal for single access. 14. Operate a reliable service DecisionThe service was rated green for point 14 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
Consider how you will evidence, outside of test environments, performance with users. Next Steps Green - AlphaThis service can now move into a Private Beta phase, subject to getting approval from the GDS spend control team. The service must meet the standard at Beta assessment before launching Public Beta.
To get the service ready to launch on GOV.UK the team needs to:
get a GOV.UK service domain name work with the GOV.UK content team on any changes required to GOV.UK content. seen at 14:45, 8 October in Digital health and social care.