HFMAtalk

This episode features a conversation with Paul Brown, who stepped down last year from his role as an ICB chief financial officer and now works as an independent advisor to the NHS. Having been involved with HFMA for many years, Paul shares reflections on his career journey and insights gained since leaving his full‑time CFO role. New HFMA members in band 7+ roles, or those recently qualified, can...

In this episode of HFMAtalk, we share a session from our recent pre-accounts planning event. Chaired by Debbie Paterson, senior technical manager at the HFMA, the discussion features Gary Mincher, finance manager at Wye Valley NHS Trust, and Ian Howse, key audit partner at Deloitte. They explore how to foster effective relationships with your auditor, highlight best practices, and outline the crit...

In this episode, we bring you a session from the recent HFMA pre-accounts planning event. Lisa Robertson, senior policy manager at the HFMA, is joined by Ben Sherriff, associate partner at Deloitte LLP, to explore auditor feedback from the latest planning cycle. Together, they unpack what auditors are focusing on, key themes emerging from the process, and the in-year developments finance teams nee...

In this episode, we explore why sustainability reporting is now a board-level priority and why finance leaders must take an active role. Kat Ridley, policy manager at the HFMA, is joined by William Hughes, director and climate & nature sustainability services lead at Forvis Mazars, and Wendy Cheeseman, head of sustainability and carbon management at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation T...

In the final episode of our annual conference special, Steve Brown, editor of Healthcare Finance magazine, picks up on Elizabeth O'Mahony's conference session, where she said NHS finance had to be fully aligned with the ambitions of the 10-year plan, and asks what this might mean in terms of changes to the financial framework. This December, the HFMA annual conference is moving to Birmingh...

In the second episode of our annual conference special, we reflect on day two, which saw Catherine Phillips take the stage as the new president of the HFMA, alongside sessions focused on the NHS ten year plan. We spoke to our guest speakers and HFMA delegates to find out how the plan will be implemented and the various challenges along the way. In 2026, the HFMA annual conference is moving to Birm...

In this special episode of HFMAtalk, we report from day one of the HFMA annual conference. The first day of the conference traditionally centres on the outgoing president’s theme and, this year, Lee Outhwaite focused on ‘values and value’. We spoke to Lee, HFMA members, the HFMA policy team, and the presidents of the HFMA in Australia and the USA about what the theme means to them and how it is sh...

In this episode, we’re bringing you a recording of a recent webinar from our series exploring the 10-year health plan and what it means for finance. In this session, Phill Wells, deputy chief financial officer - strategic finance, NHS England, offers a comprehensive overview of the plan, with a particular focus on the implications for finance professionals working across the health service. The se...

In this bite-sized episode of HFMAtalk , Steve Brown, Editor of the HFMA magazine Healthcare Finance , joins the podcast to provide insight on the latest news stories and wider challenges facing the NHS. The NHS faces severe financial pressures, including government demands to cut running costs and balance budgets. But those running cost reductions will mean redundancies, which need to be funded i...

In this episode, we explore how University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UCHW) has embedded the Virginia Mason Production System (VMPS) to improve patient care and deliver greater value. We speak to Marie Fogarty, group clinical director, and Lynda Mott, a modern matron, about how the system has been embedded in the trust and hear real-world examples of its impact on patient care, staff eng...

In this episode, we’re bringing you a session from our recent Environmental sustainability series event. During the session, Phillip Branford, environmental and sustainability officer at Sheffield Children's Hospital, outlines the process and impact of the trust decommissioning its nitrous oxide and pipeline systems. This work earned the organisation the 2024 HFMA Environmental Sustainability Awar...

In this episode, Emma Knowles, HFMA director of policy and communications, sits down with current HFMA president Lee Outhwaite. Lee reflects on his career in NHS finance, from starting out in Plymouth in the early 1990s to his current role as CFO at South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, sharing stories from across his time in both provider and commissioning roles. He discusses insights from atten...

In this episode, we are joined by 2024 Rising Star award winner Sofiya Khan-Ringshaw. Now a costing analyst at North East London Foundation Trust and chair of both the HFMA next gen committee and London student finance network, Sofiya shares how she found her footing in NHS finance after joining as an apprentice at just 16. From overcoming self-doubt to driving national networks and mentoring othe...

In today’s episode, we’re bringing you a recording from a recent ICB Forum event where we explored one of the key components of shifting towards more proactive, community-based and integrated care: integrated neighbourhood teams, or INTs. Katrina Percy and Martin Almond from the National Association of Primary Care (NAPC) share their insights on what makes an INT successful and the crucial role th...

In this episode, Steve Brown, Editor of the HFMA magazine Healthcare Finance, joins the podcast to provide insight on the latest news stories and wider challenges facing the NHS. You can register yourself or your team for the free HFMA members' summer series event ⁠⁠⁠here.

As the NHS in England faces unprecedented levels of uncertainty and change, the impact on individuals working within the service cannot be underestimated. With that in mind, in today’s episode, we showcase a conversation between Jodi Martin, Senior Strategic Finance Manager at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust as well as a Mental health and wellbeing champion for One NHS Finance, alongside...

In this episode, we’re shining a spotlight on the HFMA mental health and learning disabilities network — exploring the role it plays in supporting finance professionals and improving services across the NHS. We’re joined by Suzanne Robinson, former chair of the network, and Adrian Snarr, the current chair. They reflect on their involvement, the challenges facing mental health services today, and w...

The HFMA recently published a report titled, The NHS finance function in 2024: England. Produced every two years, the report provides a unique snapshot of the makeup of the NHS finance function in England, and how it is changing over time. In this episode, two of the HFMA’s senior policy managers: Lisa Robertson and Emily Hopkinson will explore the publication, explain how the data was gathered, a...

In this episode, we share a conversation between Lisa Robertson, senior policy manager at the HFMA, and Su Rollason, deputy chief executive officer and chief finance officer of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire. Su reflects on her career and her role in leading one of theNHS’s most ambitious financial and operational transformations. This recording has been edited from a fireside chat...

In this episode, we share a conversation between Kathy Roe, Interim chief finance officer at NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board, and Jacob Lant, Chief executive at National Voices. They discuss the need for a stronger relationship between the NHS and the Voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. This recording has been edited from a session at our Integrated care series event, w...

In this episode, Steve Brown, Editor of the HFMA magazine Healthcare Finance, joins the podcast to provide insight on the latest news stories and wider challenges facing the NHS. The surprise resignations of NHS England’s CEO, Amanda Pritchard, and CFO, Julian Kelly, have sent shockwaves through the sector. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to abolish NHS England entirely. Thi...

In today’s episode, Debbie Paterson, senior technical manager at the HFMA, sits down with Lisa Robertson, senior policy manager at the HFMA, to discuss the 2024/25 financial year-end process. They explore some of the key challenges facing finance teams and auditors, important considerations to help ensure a smooth year-end, and the HFMA resources available to support everyone through the process....

In March 2024, the HFMA, One NHS Finance and a group of NHS chief finance officers visited the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Institute in Seattle to learn about their world-renowned approach to quality improvement. In this episode, Lee Outhwaite (NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board) , Amy Whitaker (Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust), and Yarlini Roberts (Kingston and Richmond Community Healthcare N...

In this episode, Emily Hopkinson, policy and research manager at the HFMA, speaks to Nigel Gloudon, associate director of finance and performance for Halton at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, and Wendy Wood, finance business partner at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. Nigel and Wendy are part of the first-ever cohort of health inequalities finance fellows (HIFFs), a joint programme being run by th...

In this episode, Lisa Robertson, senior policy manager at the HFMA speaks with Paul Dillon Robinson, non-executive director at Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Louise Cobain, assurance director at MIAA, about the HFMA's recently rewritten audit committee handbook. They discuss the key updates and topics covered, how it is of value to committee members and finance colleagues, an...