New term time

We are now emerging from the summer holiday period and I hope that, if you managed to get some time off during July or August, it was relaxing and enjoyable.

It has been an eventful couple of months in the life of our nation, with the accession of new prime minister Boris Johnson. It will be fascinating to see how the Brexit issue is resolved over the coming months with his hardening stance over leaving the EU.

A spin-off from his appointment has been announcements around transport, full-fibre broadband and, of more direct relevance to those of us working in the health service, a much needed injection of capital into the NHS.

The ensuing debate about whether money was really new or not is possibly the first time that the mechanics of the capital departmental expenditure limit and how this spending allowance is funded have been discussed in the mainstream media.

There is a more important debate needed around how far this goes towards meeting the service’s capital investment needs.

It is an issue the HFMA continues to promote, as well as continuing to provide valuable feedback to central bodies. I’d like to thank all those involved in the development of this work.

September is a busy month for the association as we start our autumn term leading up to the annual conference in December.

We have three branch conferences during the month – South Central, South West and Wales – all of which are usually very well attended. The contributions made by the local committees are invaluable, whether in programme design and delivery, turning up on the day to volunteer or supporting sponsorship.

While there is some paid help, it is the energy and enthusiasm of volunteers that makes our operation tick in these and other places.

As far as national events go, we will be hosting another chief executive forum in September. It’s important we provide services for all our member groups and twice a year we invite chief executives along for a finance-related briefing. 

There are also quite a number of chief executives who are former finance directors, so for them it’s a chance to keep in touch with friends and colleagues. 

In early October, the Healthcare Costing for Value Institute hosts its annual international symposium. Experts from across the globe will come to the UK to talk about what’s going on in their country in terms of value-based healthcare. With a couple of member webinars and a few other national meetings, it all adds up to a packed line-up for this month.

The autumn will also see the usual round of committees. The HFMA has an extensive list of groups and committees in areas such as policy, governance and accounting. We’re often looking for new faces for these groups, so look out for notifications of vacancies or contact me directly at [email protected]