Clinical Engagement Award

The theme for this years Clinical Engagement Award is implementation of NICE Guidance. The award is for an individual or team that has actively contributed to implementation of NICE guidance with emphasis on working with others to meet financial challenges. NICE guidance represents best practice incorporating both clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness. The challenge is to ensure patients benefit from improved care through implementing guidance consistently.

Further detail on this Award can be found in HFMA’s 2007 Awards brochure.

Winner: Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust won this award for its development of a process to assess the impact of new technologies and drugs. A drugs and therapeutics committee, including clinicians, pharmacists, general managers and finance representatives, was set up whose assessments inform the local planning round. It is vital for the specialist cancer trust as its £30m annual drugs budget represents almost a quarter of its budget.

‘Clinical engagement is key to effective financial management,’ said Joanne Fitzpatrick, deputy director of finance. ‘This is vital for the implementation of NICE guidance at a specialist cancer hospital. The clinician’s view of the patients affected and the treatment pathway are essential to estimate the cost.’