The NHS Future-Focused Finance (FFF) initiative is about ‘making people count’ by ensuring – via six streams implemented over five years - that everyone connected with NHS finance has access to the relevant skills, methods and opportunities to influence decision making in support of the provision of high-quality patient services. CIPFA actively supports the work, and the Programme Director – David Ellcock – is a member of CIPFA’s Health Panel. He summarises the current position as follows:
Best Possible Value (BPV)
CIPFA hosted four regional events designed to pilot a Best Possible Value toolkit, which provides a methodology for taking decisions with a view to ensuring that BPV is achieved. These went well, with a high degree of interest / engagement. That is particularly encouraging in light of the RAPID/BPV methodology being incorporated into guidance issued to NHS Vanguards, and the work of the group was heavily promoted at the HFMA Conference.
Planned next steps are:
- to produce a simplified version of the methodology, attuned to smaller scale decisions
- a webinar will be run in early 2016 to promote the methodology
- a link will be established to Lord Carter’s review team
- a “decision facilitator” community is to be developed to provider peer-to-peer support
- promotion of BPV terminology in NHS guidance and finance training.
Efficient processes and systems
A web-based version of a systems analysis tool is under development and will be released in January / February 2016.
The best systems work will also be rolled out in the first quarter of 2016.
Close partnering
The finance educator network continues to grow apace.
A Toolkit, developed with The King’s Fund, will be launched in February. Contributions have been added to CIPFA’s forthcoming Excellent Business Partner in the NHS publication.
Skills and strengths
The delivery group is now developing content for the skills portal in conjunction with Health Education England’s eLfH team. This will concentrate on the skills coming to the fore in the work of the Best Possible Value & Close Partnering action areas in the first place. These should be available from March 2016.
Great place to work
A Career Stories document has been written. Of the 25 case studies, nine are CIPFA-qualified.
A report has been published into the impact of the FD/CFO declaration.
There is also a video about the work being undertaken in the light of the report’s findings which can be viewed on the FFF YouTube channel.
Value makers
The next cohort of value makers has been announced, with the deadline for application being May 2016.
FFF worked with the We Community to launch @WeFinance_ on 15 Dec, aiming to support tweeting health care finance professionals with day-to-day engagement and monthly tweetchats about finance issues affecting the NHS.