Case Study: Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust stretches salaries to boost recruitment and retention with Perkbox

Creating buzz and stretching salaries in a high-pressure, highly-regulated environment

The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, a 5,000‑employee NHS foundation trust responsible for Royal Berkshire Hospital and satellite clinics, was struggling with recruitment and retention—particularly for nursing—amid funding shortfalls that limited pay rises. To stretch salaries and boost employee engagement, the Trust partnered with Perkbox to give staff unlimited access to hundreds of discounts and perks (from gym memberships to phone insurance and major retail savings).

Perkbox’s benefits platform generated immediate buzz and internal champions, driving widespread sign‑up and 3,827 perks redeemed to date; it also became a central part of the Trust’s employee value proposition for UK hires and overseas recruits, supporting more than 150 job offers in the Philippines. By delivering tangible savings (popular perks include Apple, Sainsbury’s, Primark, Debenhams and John Lewis), Perkbox helped improve morale and strengthen recruitment and retention efforts across the organisation.

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

Suzanne Emerson-Dam

Deputy Director of Workforce and Organisation Development