Additional Covid-19 coverage and support

27 March 2020

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Critical care capacity remains the major pinch point for hospital services, with a new field hospital being set up in London to provide surge capacity and reports suggesting other sites are also being considered around the UK.

Personal protective equipment – and having sufficient quantity in the right places – continues to be a major concern. And there are growing calls for a much faster expansion of both case testing and antibody testing, with NHS staff being the key target.

A temporary finance regime has been introduced with the overarching principle that money should not be a barrier to the care of patients with Covid-19. Supporting the front line explains the key features of this new regime and explores how finance is setting itself up for this key support role.

In A changed world, HFMA president Caroline Clarke reflects on how life has changed in such a short period of time and on the role of finance professionals in this uncertain period. And Healthcare Finance editor Steve Brown (Keep the wheels moving) underlines the message that the core finance task is to keep the money moving, while also ensuring financial control is maintained and that all spending can be properly accounted for.

Annual accounts still have to be delivered and a revised timetable acknowledges that some finance teams will need more time to achieve this, especially as the finance community is also likely to be operating with fewer staff as the virus spreads.

In Accounts deadline pushed back in response to Covid-19 pressure on NHS, HFMA policy and technical manager Debbie Paterson runs through the key steps and deadlines for this year. And in our regular technical review, we also highlight other changes aimed at reducing the burden on finance teams and spotlight new rapid guidelines from NICE to support the care of individuals with Covid-19.

HFMA policy and technical

The HFMA policy and technical team has already produced items to support finance practitioners as they gear up to new systems and ways of working. In March, it published a summary of the coronavirus cost reimbursement guidance as well as good practice tips for finance practitioners who are now working from home and on how to make the most of Microsoft Teams for meetings. A briefing also looks at financial governance issues that NHS bodies need to consider as a result of the Covid-19 changes.

All this material – and the HFMA’s subsequent policy briefings related to Covid-19 – will be accessible by all finance practitioners.

As part of its newly launched podcast HFMAtalk, the association is also recording a series of podcasts capturing individual perspectives on how the service is meeting the Covid-19 challenge. The series will hear from people working in different regions, sectors and roles. Kicking this off is the first of a regular series from Sanjay Agrawal, HFMA trustee and a consultant in respiratory medicine and intensive care at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

As well as continuing to provide further briefings for finance teams on Covid-19 related issues, the HFMA is looking to set up a forum to enable finance staff to network and stay in touch – particularly important as many will now be working from home. There are also plans to develop regular webinars. 

  • For all HFMA Covid-19-related material, click here