Comment / The royal 'we'

By Sue Jacques

Queen Victoria is still the longest serving British monarch with a reign of almost 64 years. On 6 February 2012, Queen Elizabeth II chalked up 60 years on the throne and this month we have been celebrating her diamond jubilee. History provides both context and perspective to today. By studying the past we can understand the present and by understanding the present we can guide the future. Those that ignore history may be doomed to repeat it.

Four years before Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1948, the NHS was created and two years later, in 1950, the HFMA was born. Throughout this time the NHS has revolutionised the health of our nation and provided a rich vein of information to inform both clinical and managerial research.

It’s hard to remember that only six years ago, back in June 2006, the BBC was reporting that the NHS deficit in England had reached £512m – more than double the amount the year before. It was then that the term ‘turnaround’ entered the NHS vocabulary and a more commercial orientation was introduced building on the foundation trust regime.

The result was impressive, with financial control and delivery becoming the hallmark of the NHS, albeit isolated problems persisted in a few organisations. Mostly this strong financial performance has been accompanied by big improvements in clinical quality, although this has not been the case universally and certainly did not appear to be the case at Mid Staffs.

The public we serve rightly expects healthcare services that are safe, deliver world class clinical outcomes and provide a great patient experience. Even our recent history provides powerful pointers for how to do this well and what pitfalls to avoid.

As a profession it is therefore beholden on us to work collectively to that goal, be we provider organisations or responsible for commissioning.  This task will require greater focus as new organisational structures are established and new staff recruited to work in them, while many ‘old hands’ choose the path to retirement. The HFMA, through its ‘Making a difference’ programme is seeking to support us all to share good practice and learn the lessons of the past without having to repeat them. It is doing so in a number of different ways, including seminars and webinars that are joint funded by the Department of Health and free to participate in.

Key to us acting collectively will be the relationships we establish. ‘Making a difference’ is therefore also offering free residential programmes which, in addition to the world class content, provide an opportunity to establish and strengthen those critical relationships.

Open to one exceptional finance professional in each NHS organisation, the events run from 1 to 3 October in Leeds and 24 to 26 October in Windsor. Please visit our website for more information. But don’t worry if you’re not chosen by your organisation to attend – whoever goes will be bringing bits of the programme back to you and we will make key sessions available to you all via podcasts.

As you read this, the main jubilee celebrations will be behind us. But as you put away the bunting it is worth keeping some of that historical focus. Spend just a moment or two working out how you can best learn from lessons from the not so distant past.