Plans and pay promises

I’m delighted the message finally seems to have got through to those in power that we need a long-term, sustainable settlement for the NHS and, hopefully, the social care system.

The third series of the BBC’s wonderful Hospital programme – this time at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust – has provided a timely reminder of why this is essential. It is wrong on so many levels to have so many medically fit people with nowhere in the social care system to go. 

We need a holistic plan that integrates care around patients’ needs. And we also need to factor in, to a much greater degree, the social determinants of health, such as poor housing, poverty and lack of opportunity.

The devil will be in the detail, but it is a major step forward to have politicians talking seriously about this. It was in this spirit that HFMA presidents Mark Orchard and Alex Gild have so actively championed our ‘NHS at 100’ project, speculating what the health and care system will need in 30 years. A roundtable will be taking place in May, with a report to follow in July.

Another welcome development is the pay award. Although it barely gives health workers an increase relative to inflation, based on the CPI index, it does break the cycle of increases of 1% or below. Workforce is a major issue, whether the service is dealing with ‘normal’ shortages in supply or the added complications of Brexit.

The pay settlement will no doubt be a key focus of our workforce forum on 20 June, one of our free national events for members. Of equal interest is how the increased pay awards will be funded and how the money will flow through to where it is needed. We are told it is new money, but we’ll tracking this in the coming months.

We are now in a new financial year, with plans for much closer working between NHS England and NHS Improvement. At the time of writing it’s not clear exactly what this will look like. As an association, we have historically followed the statutory structures with the format of our branches. This was last changed in 2006 with the advent of 10 more regionally focused SHAs. However, in the light of proposed changes, we may have to take a look again at how we are organised and tailor our offering to suit. But I’m not expecting much change, and we don’t have to worry about our devolved nation branches.

Another way we are responding to the changes in the system is a move towards various faculties working together. This is most evident in our Convergence 2.0 conference in July. After a long absence, we are going back to a university campus to lend an academic feel to proceedings. However, unlike my own alma mater in the 1980s, students these days reside in the equivalent of hotel luxury, which we are able to take advantage of. If you’ve got the chance to come along, this event makes an informative alternative to December’s annual conference.

As we move forward through this year, you may want to reflect on whether you could become more actively involved in HFMA. We have all sorts of interesting volunteer roles offering a real opportunity to shape your association. 

I’m available to chat to any member who’s interested in getting involved. So what are you waiting for?

If you are interested in getting involved please get in touch with the HFMA Membership Team.