Comment / Small steps

I was interested to hear in the press last month that Sir Stuart Rose was being drafted in to help mentor NHS leaders. And also the outcry that surely the NHS was a different business from retail and how could he possibly have anything to say? It is true we have seen business gurus go into NHS organisations and watch as they finally understand the huge complexity of the issues at play in a hospital. I can recall Sir Gerry Robinson a few years ago spending time at Rotherham General Hospital.

I don’t think private sector leaders can overcome all the NHS’s challenges. There is no private sector secret that the NHS has not been privy to.  But there are always opportunities to learn. And although the NHS currently needs to transform services and look at different options for patient pathways, it is often the small insights that create incremental change that move us forward.

It’s the same with a conference.  Rarely will we attend a two-day event that will totally change what we do – a sort of Damascene conversion.  But we can perhaps walk away with one or two gems from speakers or colleagues. Many reading this column will remember Sir Stuart Rose’s presentation to the 2012 annual conference.  I thought he gave a very good presentation on how he had innovated at Marks & Spencer and, more important, how he inspired colleagues around him. 

No-one there was expecting him to solve all their problems at work, but the inspiration and ideas-filled enthusiasm may have sent delegates back to the office with renewed motivation or a single idea for change that was worth making the trip to London for.  

It’s this incremental change that marks out our continuing professional development (CPD), with an emphasis on the C. I’ve been involved in training for nearly 30 years – my own work with individuals and how I have learned myself bears this out.

CPD is a key part of what the HFMA does and throughout this year we will continue to provide as much as we can for the service. We already have more than 100 delegates booked in for the annual conference in December and by the end of March we hope to have 300, based on last year’s figures. We have held down the prices at last year’s level for early bookers, so please get your booking in early. 

We are currently writing the programme, so if there are any speakers you would like to hear from, please drop me a line. I’m keen for the whole programme to be dynamic and inspirational – so delegates get those nuggets in abundance and come away motivated and invigorated.

Finally, I’m delighted we are taking a proactive role in the Future-focused finance initiative (see page 23). HFMA president Andy Hardy is part of the Finance Leadership Council and the HFMA is giving as much of its time and resources as it can to support the initiative. It is about mainstreaming best practice and ensuring the finance function can maximise its contribution to health service improvement. You can be part of it by registering on one of the regional roadshows taking place in March. Please see the HFMA website for more details.

Your small steps will lead to greater opportunity and challenge. If you’re looking to take one by volunteering for a committee or taking part in HFMA activity, don’t hesitate to contact me – there’s plenty to do.