In spring 2007, the Public Accounts Committee, in its seventeenth report, recommended that 'the Department of Health should identify models of successful joint working between financial and clinical management and promote them across the NHS'; and aims to help the Department of Health and the NHS in implementing that recommendation.
This report, based on interviews at 16 sites, is aimed at clinicians, managers and finance professionals working within the NHS. It is also aimed at trust and primary care trust (PCT) boards which set the tone for their organisations. We also seek to influence strategic health authorities, professional bodies and government. We have also published two short briefing papers: one aimed at clinicians and one aimed at finance staff.
Included in this report, is a checklist for chief executives, finance directors and medical directors, covering:
- governance and accountability
- communication and culture
- the importance of good information
- commissioning and purchasing
The importance of clinical engagement has been highlighted in recent Audit Commission reports, such as the Review of the NHS Financial Management and Accounting Regime, Learning the Lessons from Financial Failure in the NHS, and Financial Management in the NHS 2004/05, produced jointly with the National Audit Office (NAO).