Grant Thornton Independent Review into NHS Tayside finances
Grant Thornton Independent Review into NHS Tayside finances – click here for the report
The new leadership team in NHS Tayside has accepted all the recommendations from the independent review of the organisation’s financial governance.
The review undertaken by Grant Thornton UK LLP looked at key aspects of NHS Tayside’s finances in a number of areas, including the transparency of finance reports presented at the Board and its standing committees, the scale and use of Board reserves and deferred expenditure and the extent to which the Board was engaged in decision making regarding the use of endowment funds retrospectively in 2013/14.
Chief Executive Malcolm Wright said, “Today’s report is very unsatisfactory for NHS Tayside in a number of areas but the lack of open and transparent governance processes regarding financial management shown over the years is extremely serious.
“Since the new Chairman John Brown and I came to Tayside last month, we have been very clear about our intentions for this organisation going forward and that is an absolute commitment that transparency must be at the forefront of everything we do, with honesty and openness now the overriding feature of all Board business.
“This independent review reinforces our position of transparency first and we will now relentlessly pursue improvements to our financial reporting and governance to ensure all recommendations are implemented.”
The new leadership team have already implemented a number of reviews and improvements in their first weeks at the helm of NHS Tayside including an agreement by Board members to repay the endowment money which had been retrospectively applied in 2013/14 and an overhaul of the way that financial reports are presented to make them easier to understand for everyone, including the public.
Chairman John Brown said, “Malcolm and I were clear that regardless of the findings and recommendations of this independent review, the repayment of the endowment money which was allocated retrospectively was very important because it is simply the right thing to do for our patients, our staff and the people of Tayside.
“All of the recommendations in today’s report will be fully implemented and I can confirm that we’re already making progress in a number of areas; I commissioned a risk assessment of the NHS Tayside corporate governance system last month and that includes a review of internal audit arrangements which will be led by the Institute of Internal Auditors.
“NHS Tayside’s financial position remains very challenging but that does not mean that our financial reporting should also be challenging. We owe it to the public to make it as easy as possible to see what is going on and how we are spending large sums of public money every year. Therefore, we are very pleased to see that the report has recognised that our new way of reporting finances is easier to read and we will continue to ensure all financial information is presented in a much more public-friendly way.
“I have confidence that this organisation can learn the lessons of the past, move forward and make the improvements and the progress needed to rebuild confidence with the public and ensure there are no distractions for staff as they get on and do what they do best - which is making sure everyone in Tayside receives high-quality and effective care and treatment.”