How Oxford University Hospitals built a better benefits programme

Big responsibility, small budget

Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) set out to deliver a benefits programme that would mean something to people, without having a dedicated budget behind it.  

The aim was pretty straightforward: make everyday life a bit easier for their people, particularly in a high-cost area where cost-of-living pressures were already being felt. 

They needed to: 

• Launch a benefits programme with no dedicated budget 
• Help relieve financial pressure for staff across four hospitals 
• Engage people in clinical, admin and support roles 
• Offer targeted support to colleagues experiencing in-work poverty 

Building a better benefits programme

OUH launched a centralised benefits portal in May 2024 that pulled salary sacrifice and cost-saving schemes into one place, open to every employee. This gave the Trust a practical way to move quickly, stay inclusive, and build something that worked across roles, shifts and locations. 

Using the platform, OUH generated more than £173,000 in employer savings through salary sacrifice efficiencies. Those savings were channelled straight back into the workforce, funding everyday support designed around what staff needed most. 

Key initiatives included: 

• Free hot breakfasts, period products and parking funded by reinvested savings 
• Home and Electronics scheme: 941 employee orders, saving the Trust £173,000 in NI and pension contributions 
• Rental support loans: up to £3,000 available for housing deposits, including colleagues still in probation 
• Commuting support, including £250 travel vouchers and access to refurbished bikes 
• OUH Rewards Advent Calendar, a surprise-and-delight campaign that drove more than 42,000 portal visits 

As Adam Kirton, Associate Director Workforce at OUH at the time, explains: 

“By reinvesting what we saved, we were able to launch new ways to help with housing, food, commuting and wellbeing.” 

A programme that’s proven itself

The platform helped OUH show that meaningful benefits don’t need a big budget. By using salary sacrifice efficiencies to create a self-funding model, the Trust has been able to grow its benefits offering over time and introduce new wellbeing initiatives without adding extra cost. 

The result is a programme that is fair and usable, built around the realities of NHS life. It continues to support thousands of staff across the organisation, while strengthening OUH’s reputation as a place that takes care of its people. 

That success didn’t stay within the walls of OUH. Their work has been highlighted by NHS Employers as best practice, shared with other NHS organisations, and shortlisted for another national award in 2025 for its impact on staff wellbeing. In the same year, OUH won Best Voluntary Benefits at the Employee Benefits Awards. 

Final word

OUH turned financial savings into practical support for staff, putting funding back into things that mattered – from free meals to essential products that helped ease financial pressures. It was a conscious choice to put those savings straight back into supporting their staff. 

That approach has gone on to set a strong example of what’s possible when benefits are treated as something to build and improve over time. By focusing on reinvestment and doing things differently, OUH has created lasting value for its people and the organisation behind them.