Technical / Uniting for revised qualifications

The new approach will see learners from both secondary care and primary care working alongside each other, studying many of the same modules with the same tutors.

The choice of modules will determine if the learner receives an HFMA advanced diploma in healthcare business and finance or a diploma in advanced primary care management.

The revised approach aligns with the move to system working in England. Rather than studying in specific sector silos, learners will in future share a virtual classroom with colleagues from across the whole of healthcare.

The new programme provides access to seven modules, each worth 30 credits, which are studied over a 10-week period.

Completing two modules (60 credits) will lead to an HFMA advanced diploma, while achieving two HFMA advanced diplomas (120 credits) will make learners eligible to apply for an executive MBA top-up programme provided by the University of Northampton.

This MBA programme took in its first HFMA students at the beginning of the year.

Finance practitioners with a CCAB or equivalent qualification would only require one HFMA diploma to be able to access the MBA programme. The first intake for the revised qualifications will be in October, with a second intake in March 2023.

The seven modules (see box) are led by experienced tutors who have worked at board-level across the NHS and private sector. Tutors lead weekly Academy live sessions to support learners during each module.

There are no restrictions in choice of module for diplomas in healthcare business and finance. Those who wish to achieve the diploma in advanced primary care management will be required to select the NHS law, policy and governance module plus any one of the other modules.

More than 300 learners have now achieved a masters-level diploma with the HFMA since the HFMA Academy opened in 2017 as the association’s learning centre. Further students are continuing to work towards completion.

The first graduates of the MBA in healthcare finance, which was offered by BPP University as part of the HFMA route to an MBA until the start of this year, attended a graduation ceremony (pictured) in March this year, having completed their MBAs over recent years (Healthcare Finance April 2020). The ‘class of 2022’ is pictured.

• One graduate, Tracy Parker, is a former winner of the Tony Whitfield Award in 2017. The award is given to student of the year on the HFMA qualifications programme.

Pictured l-r: Gianluca Paderi, Julia McLarty, Sze May Ng, Tracy Parker and John Leipe

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