E-learning helps NHS managers understand finance

New e-learning modules which help managers to understand NHS finance have been developed by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).

The modules were written and produced by communication and training specialists, Information Transfer, to help NHS staff understand the requirements of the new Patient Choice and Payment by Results schemes.

An HFMA spokesperson told E-Health Insider: “HFMA saw that changes in the NHS meant more and more non-financial staff needed an understanding of financial management concepts and techniques. The potential audience included non-executive directors, senior clinical staff and managers of all budget holding units.”

The service can be accessed through the internet (www.hfmaelearning.org.uk), or installed on the NHS trusts’ own learning management systems.

The first module was designed to help trusts get to grips with budgetary control and

Information Transfer is currently working on additions including an introduction to budget management, and introduction to NHS finance in England, payment by results, practice-based commissioning and costing for payments by results.

HFMA’s head of marketing and commercial development, Martin Walsh said: “HFMA’s e-learning can deliver quality content to the desktop of everyone in the organisation through the internet, with the ability for each organisation to track completions and competencies where required.”

The system was initially trialled by the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust who chief executive, Neil McKay, said: “The e-learning package ensures that staff learn through a prescribed channel, with an established package and therefore with consistently high standards.

“The programme will undoubtedly help make sure that front line managers, clinical managers and facilities managers will have the tools and the requisite knowledge to enable them to make sure that every tax payer’s pound is spent with the best interests of patients in mind that we can manage.”

Stacey Hunter, matron at the trust added: “I think it offers some really good benefits: we face pressures of time and e-learning provides us with a way of training staff at a time that suits the individual and workflow.

The system uses Information Transfer’s Knowledge Centre LMS, a configurable system that will let HFMA meet the different needs of different trusts.