Comment / Making it count

Twelve months ago, as I introduced the theme for my presidential
year, ‘Leading by numbers’, I talked about the massive opportunities I believed existed for finance professionals to take on increased leadership roles in the NHS.

One prime reason, I argued, was that our colleagues from all professional backgrounds need us to help make sense of the financial environment we face – an environment that is unprecedented in the history of the NHS.

So it was perhaps appropriate that I was given the opportunity to do exactly this on a very public stage as I undertook my final official engagement as HFMA president before this year’s annual conference.

Being called as an expert witness in the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry into the financial sustainability of NHS bodies filled me with both excitement and trepidation.

The inquiry is following up on the publication of the National Audit Office report into the same subject and it was an honour for me personally to represent the HFMA at such an august forum.

However, I think it is also good for the association and a mark of the ever-increasing profile of the HFMA. This is not the first time that an HFMA president (or chairman) has given evidence to a select committee, but it is definitely a platform where the finance profession’s voice should
be heard on a more
routine basis.

As this is my last article as HFMA president, it would be remiss of me not to reflect on my year in office.

I have been warmly welcomed across the country as I have attended nearly all of the branch conferences. As I have stated at each of these events, I strongly believe that the bedrock of the HFMA lies within the branch network and the dedication of the many committee members in
those branches.

I have been struck by the fantastic leadership role that is being taken on by NHS finance as it takes its part in meeting the many challenges facing the service.

The sense of camaraderie among NHS finance professionals across the NHS and into social care is clear to see. I am convinced this will be of paramount importance as times get harder and we must continue to work closely together.

I must also take the opportunity to record my appreciation of our association’s chief executive, Mark Knight, and all his team. 

Their support to me during my year as president has been substantial, but their dedication to the association is also clear.

This dedication has seen the HFMA go from strength to strength in recent years and has laid the foundations for an even stronger future.

As my presidential year comes to an end, I reflect with great satisfaction that NHS finance professionals are grasping more opportunities to ‘lead by numbers’.

These opportunities will only increase in the coming years. I wish you all well in meeting these challenges.

Contact the president on [email protected]