By David Williams
09 July 2009
Doctors should receive financial training to enable them to play a greater role in finding savings in the NHS, the Audit Commission has said.
The watchdog, which oversees financial management in the health service, launched its Guide to finance for hospital doctors jointly with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges on July 9.
The guide is aimed at trainees and junior doctors, and is designed to enable clinicians to work more closely with NHS finance specialists.
It explains how to manage a budget, how money is administered in the NHS and how services can be improved by a better understanding of financial matters.
The authors say that involving doctors in finance could also lead to more efficient and effective patient care.
Audit Commission chief executive Steve Bundred said: ‘We cannot ignore the fact that the NHS is a £100bn organisation and it is the doctors who dictate where the cash goes.
‘We don’t need doctors to be accountants, but I’ve no doubt we can drive greater efficiency to benefit patients if doctors become more familiar with how the money works.’
The guide has been welcomed across the medical profession. Dr Andy Thornley, chair of the British Medical Association’s junior doctors committee, said: ‘Junior doctors are increasingly aware of the financial constraints placed on health care.
‘We welcome moves to improve the awareness of management concerns amongst junior doctors within the NHS and this obviously has to include financial issues.’
Health minister Lord Darzi has also backed the principle of involving doctors more in financial management, saying that ‘only then will the NHS realise its full potential’.
09 July 2009
Doctors should receive financial training to enable them to play a greater role in finding savings in the NHS, the Audit Commission has said.
The watchdog, which oversees financial management in the health service, launched its Guide to finance for hospital doctors jointly with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges on July 9.
The guide is aimed at trainees and junior doctors, and is designed to enable clinicians to work more closely with NHS finance specialists.
It explains how to manage a budget, how money is administered in the NHS and how services can be improved by a better understanding of financial matters.
The authors say that involving doctors in finance could also lead to more efficient and effective patient care.
Audit Commission chief executive Steve Bundred said: ‘We cannot ignore the fact that the NHS is a £100bn organisation and it is the doctors who dictate where the cash goes.
‘We don’t need doctors to be accountants, but I’ve no doubt we can drive greater efficiency to benefit patients if doctors become more familiar with how the money works.’
The guide has been welcomed across the medical profession. Dr Andy Thornley, chair of the British Medical Association’s junior doctors committee, said: ‘Junior doctors are increasingly aware of the financial constraints placed on health care.
‘We welcome moves to improve the awareness of management concerns amongst junior doctors within the NHS and this obviously has to include financial issues.’
Health minister Lord Darzi has also backed the principle of involving doctors more in financial management, saying that ‘only then will the NHS realise its full potential’.
