Briefing / NHS audit committee handbook supplement

The HFMA NHS audit committee handbook is designed to help NHS governing bodies and audit committees as they review and continually re-assess their system of governance, risk management and control to ensure that it remains effective and ‘fit for purpose’.

This paper supplements the handbook, last printed in March 2018 (and currently available to order through the link below). The Health and Care Act 2022 has brought about significant changes so this short supplement provides an update on the key finance and governance changes relevant to each chapter, in advance of the next full update to the handbook due in 2023. It can be read as a standalone document.

The Act introduced new requirements for NHS bodies to work together to meet joint financial objectives and duties. In some ways, the audit committee role will not change as NHS bodies will still need to report to their own board and to the regulators. In other ways, everything will change as decisions will need to be made with a view to their impact on the wider system and the financial impact of those decisions will impact on partner organisations. As such the audit committee will need to take a wider view when considering audit and assurance.

See related: Practical guide - NHS audit committee handbook.