HFMA Education Blogs

Getting the right people in the room

by Dr Arrash Yassaee

14 September 2021

I am a firm believer that if we are going to be leading clinical services, we need to understand the system as a whole, why our strategies might fail and how other systems and industries have tried to tackle similar challenges.

Summary of the HFMA’s system working material

by Lisa Robertson

15 June 2021

The establishment of integrated care systems (ICSs) creates real opportunities to deliver more joined up care and improve population health. However, there is a lot to do to ensure appropriate governance and financial arrangements are in place at a system level. Over the last 12 months, the HFMA has produced a number of resources to support members as they move to greater system working. These are summarised below.

Shifting perceptions and balancing priorities

by Gianluca Paderi

15 June 2021

Gianluca Paderi, finance business partner at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust was one of the first learners to complete both the advanced diploma in healthcare business and finance and the MBA in healthcare in healthcare finance. In this blog he discusses how the qualification changed his perception of what a masters was, and the challenges he faced in balancing study with changing personal circumstances.

An interview with Edward Gold

by Edward Gold

14 June 2021

Edward Gold, head of costing and income at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, studied for the HFMA higher diploma in healthcare business and finance in 2019 before completing the MBA in healthcare business and finance, graduating with a distinction earlier in 2021. Edward spoke to the HFMA about his reasons for studying, highlights and challenges he encountered, and what he has taken away from his learning experience.

A truly unique learning experience: my reflections on studying

by Tracy Mayes

04 May 2021

Tracy Mayes, deputy chief finance officer at NHS East Riding CCG, was part of the first cohort of learners who completed both the HFMA advanced diploma in healthcare business and finance and the MBA in healthcare business and finance from the HFMA and BPP University. During her study, she won the HFMA Tony Whitfield Student of the Year award. In this blog, Tracy reflects on her experience.

Building the bridge between healthcare finance and clinicians

by Dr May Ng

08 April 2021

Associate professor May Ng is an honorary associate professor at the University of Liverpool, a consultant paediatric endocrinologist and associate medical director at Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust. She was the first clinician to complete both the HFMA higher diploma in healthcare business and finance and the MBA from BPP University, gaining a merit in the process. In this follow-up to a previous HFMA blog, May reflects on her journey, the ongoing need for clinicians to receive training and education in how healthcare finance works, and how the higher diploma and MBA have continued to support her in her senior role.

A career stepping stone

by Natasha Parry

08 March 2021

Natasha Parry, an advanced clinical practitioner specialising in elderly, frailty, and complex patient management, is one of the current learners studying for the HFMA advanced diploma in healthcare business and finance. In this blog, Natasha talks about why she chose to study the qualification, what she has learned so far, and how studying has helped with her wellbeing during the pandemic.

Opening doors and broadening horizons

by Greg Mtunzi

17 August 2020

Greg Mtunzi, pharmacy business manager at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, is one of the most recent graduates from the HFMA advanced diploma in healthcare business and finance. Here he talks about his experience of the qualification, why he chose to do it, and the difference it has made.

My apprenticeship journey: finance is not just numbers

by Josh Penston

03 February 2020

Josh Penston started his NHS career as a business management administration apprentice and is currently finance PMO admin at Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Foundations Trust. Find out more about the projects he was involved with during his apprenticeship and why working in finance is not just about the numbers.

My apprenticeship journey: my studies and day-to-day were intertwined

by Cody James

03 February 2020

Cody James first joined the HFMA as a AAT Level 2 apprentice in the finance department. She quickly became a vital part of the team and was shortlisted for The Bristol and Bath Apprenticeship Awards. Find out more about why she chose to do an apprenticeship, the support she received and how the apprenticeship changed her career aspirations.

A qualified response to primary care pressure

by Emma Prince

28 November 2019

With the expectation for primary care to work more at scale, I wondered if further studies would support this

The responsibility of leadership

by Mathew Wright

22 November 2019

The importance of leadership within primary care is at an all-time high

Managing upwards, outwards, and downwards

by Tracy Dell

22 November 2019

Developing skills to manage primary care at scale

Six ways to succeed as a distance learner

by Alice Mason

07 October 2019

'Studying was a personal choice and a matter of priority for me'

Engaging with the top

by Dr Aamir Saifuddin

06 August 2019

Effective engagement can be a gateway for improvement

Social care: what can we learn from other countries?

by Natasha Curry

19 July 2019

Social care is frequently in the headlines. The system is widely regarded as unfair, complex, confusing and failing to meet needs.

Digitally-enabled mental health transformation for schools

by Julia Ford

10 July 2019

Julia Ford and David Hewitt reflect on their session at the 2018 Annual conference, as one of the pilot sites for the CAMHs in schools workstreams, they update on their experiences so far.

Making meetings work

by Mitzi Wyman

10 July 2019

Investing time in structuring meetings can pay dividends: Mitzi Wyman, Board Advisor at Wyman Associates reflects on her session at the Chair, Non-Executive & Lay member forum on 16 May in Central London

Leading from the frontline

by Dr Aamir Saifuddin

09 July 2019

Medicine and leadership need to go hand in hand.

Putting patient safety first

by Helen Hughes

12 June 2019

Healthcare non-execs react positively to Patient Safety Learning’s challenge to think and act differently for patient safety

Leading improvement; national support for local missions

by Dr Robert Varnam

10 June 2019

The job of a NHS Chief Executive has never been an easy one.

Speaking the same language

by Dr Arrash Yassaee

10 April 2019

It is essential that we bridge the gap between operations, policy and the front line if we want to deliver high quality patient-centred care.

There are hundreds of fabulous women leaders in the NHS

by Suzanne Robinson

08 March 2019

Last year for the first time in the history of the National Healthcare Finance Awards, all shortlisted candidates for the Director of Finance of the Year Award were women. To mark International Women's Day 2019, we spoke with one of the shortlisted leaders - Suzanne Robinson about the importance of diversity in healthcare finance and her childhood dream.

Hospital @ Home

by Jamie Bewick

22 February 2019

The new NHS long term plan sets out the pathway for a new service model fit for the 21st century. The first aim of the model is to boost out of hospital care, which is backed by a commitment to significantly increase investment in community health services over the next five years.

What does a good counter fraud service look like?

by Paul Tiffen

31 January 2019

Following a session at the HFMA annual audit conference in November, this blog reflects on the partnership needed to counter fraud in the NHS

High-level support

by Yuliya Kosharevska

21 January 2019

Chief executives of NHS organisations are in a tough position. Not only are they held to account for organisational performance, but they must also think about the whole system.

Maintaining progress in the IAPT journey

by Steve Skinner

15 January 2019

The IAPT programme (improving access to psychological therapies) has been running for 10 years. With good outcomes, the NHS is currently on a journey to ensure more patients can benefit from the evidence-based services. This blog follows a presentation by NHS England at a mental health site visit to Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

A clinical head for leadership

by Dr May Ng

30 July 2018

Why clinicians benefit from developing skills in the business of healthcare management.

Better performance with a reduced workforce, is it possible?

by Stefan Mieczkowski and Jeremy Walsh

14 March 2018

At the mental health workforce forum that took place in February Stefan Mieczkowski, client director, SSG Health and Jeremy Walsh, director, South London Mental Health and Community Partnership, presented a case study on workforce restructure at South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust. Stefan was appointed to support the change process.

The place to be

by Mark Rogers

19 December 2017

Ahead of the HFMA’s integration summit in February, progressive public sector managers are urged to fully embrace the idea of place-based thinking as an essential step towards delivering services properly integrated around patients and service users.

Wellbeing focus

by Dr Duncan Gooch

18 December 2017

A place-based partnership in Derbyshire aims to bring organisations together to create a community that feels confident and supported to take ownership of their own health and wellbeing.

President's tour: Northern Ireland

by Mark Orchard

28 November 2017

‘Black Friday’ at the Titanic, Belfast, marked the 13th and final leg of my 2017 HFMA branch conference tour. Northern Ireland was always going to be special for me, particularly given my inclusive ‘Everyone counts’ theme focusing on engaging with, and learning from, our membership across all four UK nations.

Understanding performance – sharing insights from practice

by Helen Gilburt

24 November 2017

It is one thing to articulate the overall importance of mental health services, but do we understand enough about what represents good value in mental healthcare? And what is the role for mental health providers in developing place-based models of care?

President's tour: Northern

by Mark Orchard

13 November 2017

Currently, in terms of individual members, the HFMA Northern Branch is the smallest in England. But you would hardly know that from the delegate numbers – almost 200 – attending the annual conference this year in Durham.

President’s tour: East Midlands

by Mark Orchard

06 November 2017

Wow. Congratulations to the East Midlands Branch on putting on a first class annual branch conference at Holywell Park, Loughborough University. I was completely blown away by the professionalism and slickness of this event.

President's tour: Scotland

by Mark Orchard

02 November 2017

The Golden Jubilee National Hospital, Glasgow was the 10th scheduled stop on my thirteen leg 2017 HFMA branch tour. It was also the only branch conference this year to be held on a main hospital site, in an impressive purpose-built conference venue attached to the acute care facility.

President's tour: Eastern

by Mark Orchard

27 October 2017

The ninth leg of my tour was also the second race course venue on this 2017 HFMA branch conference circuit (the first being Wolverhampton back in June). This time my focus was all on the 09:35 at Newmarket.

Inside view: why distance learning?

by Liz Hall

23 October 2017

An inside view on studying HFMA’s qualifications. Liz Hall, a May starter on the qualifications programme, shares her experience studying of the HFMA Qualifications programme.

President's tour: Kent, Surrey and Sussex

by Mark Orchard

17 October 2017

The eighth leg of my 2017 HFMA thirteen branch tour took me to Ashford where I was the opening speaker at their 24-hour learning event 'Lucky for sum' (the event started on Friday 13th).

All in a day’s work!

by Chris Calkin

11 October 2017

Chris Calkin reflects on the development of the NHS Operating Games, looking at feedback from NHS organisations and how the training tools support staff development.

Networking and the hidden opportunities that pass us by

by Darryl Howes

10 October 2017

Are we missing out on some of the less obvious opportunities to network and should we re-think our people networking strategy?

President's tour: South West

by Mark Orchard

03 October 2017

The HFMA South West annual conference represented the eighth leg of my 13 branch UK tour and was always going to be a personal highlight. After all, the South West is my branch. I am a past chair of HFMA South West and remain a proud member and still serve on the committee.

President’s tour: Wales

by Mark Orchard

29 September 2017

For as long as I can remember, HFMA Wales has been renowned as a branch built on solid foundations and enabling a strong professional network to thrive for the benefit of the nation it serves.

President’s tour: South Central

by Mark Orchard

15 September 2017

The HFMA’s South Central Branch is close to my heart. Not only have I lived in this patch for over a decade, I’ve spent three years of my career here navigating the transition between the pre- and post-Lansley NHS reforms. So stepping into the room – on this the fifth leg of my tour of all HFMA branches – felt a bit like a reunion for me. And it was great to catch up with friends and colleagues.

Module insight: Personal effectiveness and leadership

by Bob Baker

15 August 2017

Bob Baker is the leader for the module Personal effectiveness and leadership, provided as part of the HFMA Qualification programme. He shares his experience of designing and running this popular module.

Module insight: Comparative healthcare systems

by Letsie Tilley - Qualifications

26 July 2017

Letsie Tilley gives an insight into HFMA Qualifications module ‘Comparative healthcare systems’. If you are interested in studying an HFMA Qualification and would like to understand more about the module content, this article will give you further insight into what is available.

President's tour: North West

by Mark Orchard

30 June 2017

The North West is nationally renowned for leading the way on finance skills development. So it was especially rewarding for me to revisit this branch conference in the Blackpool venue that I had originally addressed some years ago during the launch of Future-Focused Finance.

President’s tour: West Midlands

by Mark Orchard

23 June 2017

What a privilege and a pleasure it really is to be your HFMA president this year. Yesterday (22 June), I visited the West Midlands as the third scheduled stop on my 13-leg 2017 branch tour.

President's tour: London

by Mark Orchard

13 June 2017

I am writing this on the Monday after the general election result the Friday before. And being the first speaker at the HFMA London Branch conference, just a short walk away from Downing Street, I felt a responsibility to acknowledge the shock from delegates trying to fathom what happens next.

Your future starts here

by Claire Raistrick

13 June 2017

Claire Raistrick, Head of the HFMA Academy, gives a view on the delivery of the HFMA qualifications in healthcare business and finance. Previously, Claire has worked in higher education, healthcare and industry and brings experience from each of these areas to HFMA. She has a strong interest in online learning and her PhD is in Technology Enhanced Learning. In this interview, she talks about how the Academy delivers the qualifications and what learners can expect.

Achieving value for patients

by Caroline Sayer

17 May 2017

Opinion piece by Caroline Sayer, Chair at Camden CCG, on the need to encompass a whole pathway of care in order to achieve value for patients

Governing for transformation

by Paul Stanton

08 May 2017

Paul Stanton, chief executive officer of Southminster Consultancy will be delivering the closing session at the Provider Faculty directors’ forum on 18 May in London, focusing on STPs and governance. In this blog, Paul addresses the impact of the decision to call a snap general election in June.

Branching out

by Sam Dukes

11 April 2017

The recent HFMA branches conference highlighted the variety of ways branches are bringing their local finance communities closer together.

President’s tour: Yorkshire and Humber

by Mark Orchard

30 January 2017

Writing this short blog on my long train journey home from Scunthorpe to Fareham, my thoughts turned to what I had taken away from the first of my 13 HFMA branch conference appearances as national president.

Clearing the STP obstacles

by John Yarnold

05 January 2017

Final sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) were published in the middle of December and now we can clearly see the gap between the ambition and reality.

Finance and medicine – a clash of worlds?

by Dr Sally Lewis

23 November 2016

The relationship between clinicians and financial managers in the NHS has often been fraught with tension and misunderstanding, but arguably has never been more important than in the current environment.

Keep abreast of NHS charity developments

by Nigel Davies

06 September 2016

The Charity Commission is, of course, keen for NHS practitioners to keep up-to-date with recent developments in charity accounting and governance, but we also want to hear their views on the future of charitable funds reporting.

HFMA Awards 2016 - embracing the digital age

by Ben Renshaw

13 June 2016

There are two particularly testing times of year in terms of the award programme and we are currently right in the midst of the first of these. There are a significant number of steps, procedures and actions that all need to take place before we can ‘press go’ on the HFMA National Healthcare Finance Awards each year in June.

News, articles and blogs

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04 May 2022

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Year-end audit: targeting a smooth operation

28 April 2022

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