Comment / Saying thankyou

The association would not be the same without the branch network, which provides programmes for local members. Thank you to all the local committees, secretaries, treasurers and other post-holders who contribute tirelessly to the work of HFMA.

They are the people who stay behind and help process bookings or make phone calls on our behalf. It’s not all drudgery for them because the satisfaction is in seeing people progress in their careers. We need more branch committee enthusiasts all over the country. There’s no pay, just the internal or external recognition of your good efforts.

If you think you could have a role, why not contact your local branch? And if you are currently out of touch, simply call the association in Bristol.

Another vote of thanks goes to the work of the national committees and working groups. While many of the publications and events are written by professional staff working for HFMA, there are many volunteers who spend hours reviewing, correcting, changing, encouraging and supporting their work.

A good example is the revised Introductory guide to NHS finance, a rveised version of which is due out this spring. Pulling it all together is a mammoth task and one that needs professional staff. The source material, however, comes from the committees themselves. This applies to other guides such as those on effective governance and accounting standards.

Of particular note are our three national committee chairmen, Keith Wood, Chris Macklin and Paul Dillon Robinson. All professional people with busy careers, they devote enormous amounts of time and energy to leading and shaping their committees. We still need more volunteers to help develop our committee structure.

I am very grateful for all the impressive work our Foundation Trust Finance group puts in. Again, with a degree of professional support from the association, the group has flourished and this month sees the publication of the Introductory guide to foundation trust finance and governance.

I would like to thank all the volunteers who made that possible. Our Payment by Results group has also had a good and productive first year.

Our Primary Care group, however, remains in its early days. The few meetings we have held have been good, but relatively poorly attended. We do want to put something together in this area. If a number of PCT directors of finance could come together to discuss this subject, HFMA will find the resources to move it forward. This would improve our work in this area.