Comment / Awarding time

One of the major features of the HFMA’s annual conference dinner is the presentation of industry awards, where we recognise good practice.  Given the HFMA board has just approved the 2008 awards programme, it seemed an opportune time to focus on what is becoming a highly regarded showcase for financial good practice.

We are in our fourth year and we have expanded to 10 categories.  We’ve also made some changes to existing awards, which reflect their growing development.  We welcome two new awards – the Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) Award and the Commissioner of the Year Award.  We have also widened the FT award to become the Provider of the Year, which could also encompass the non FT sector, mental health, the independent sectors and Scottish organisations operating in a provider role.  In addition the Clinical Engagement Award has been widened slightly to reflect the work HFMA has been doing in 2008 as part of our chairman Chris Calkin’s theme.  We are delighted to be continuing our relationship with NICE in relation to this part of the programme.

The CSR Award has been developed with ACCA, which has a 20-year history in this area.  This award recognises work within UK healthcare organisations to develop CSR programmes and the important role of the finance function in making CSR a reality.  It will highlight good practice in healthcare organisations in considering the social and environmental impacts of their activities. Organisations entering this award may have implemented a plan to reduce their carbon footprint, worked with the supply chain to encourage sustainable procurement or improved accessibility and, therefore, reduced health inequalities. The award will examine successes in a number of areas including reporting of CSR activities and implementation of innovative CSR policy initiatives.

The Commissioner of the Year Award reflects the association’s desire to increase its footprint in the primary care area and recognises that while world class financial management and a stable local finance economy are essential pre-requisites for World Class Commissioning, an emphasis on collaborative working to optimise health gains defines its success.  This award will recognise innovative practices and sustainable improvement in health outcomes through World Class Commissioning.

There are also the established awards such as Accounts Team, and Finance Director of the Year.  We are also again hosting the Jon Havelock Award to showcase training and development. Issues such as efficiency and charitable funds management are covered in other areas.

The awards are nothing without the applicants and this year we are expecting even more than previous years.  The brochure will be out soon and you will have until 26 September to apply.  The shortlisted candidates are then invited to the annual conference for the presentation. 

We believe it is HFMA’s place to showcase good practice within the finance community and so the awards occupy an important role in our activities. There is a growing buzz around the HFMA Awards, with real competition in each category. Help us to raise the profile of excellence within NHS finance departments by starting to think about your entry now.


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