We are pleased to announce that our Finance team at Combined have been recognised again for their hard work and dedication. The NHS Finance Leadership Council has awarded the team with the One NHS Finance Towards Excellence Accreditation, at Level 2, with effect from 10 May 2023.
This makes them the only finance team in the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System to have reached this level of recognition. This accreditation lasts for three years and the One Finance NHS website describes what it means to the Trust:
“One NHS Finance Towards Excellence Accreditation shows that your finance team’s processes and procedures are working. It proves you’ve developed a culture where staff feel appreciated and successes are celebrated.”
The team were previously awarded the Level 1 accreditation in 2018 which also lasts for three years, so the team successfully reapplied to retain this status in 2021.
In order to receive the accreditation at a Level 2 status, the Finance team has had to provide substantial evidence to demonstrate they have met the criteria provided by One NHS Finance. The areas in which they have had to meet the criteria are the following: Infrastructure, personal development, professional development, finance workforce and career planning, corporate financial competence and business controls and policy. They also had to demonstrate that they had met a long list of criteria through evidence based submissions & a number of interviews with both Finance & non-Finance staff.
The level 2 accreditation indicates a ‘High Level of Performance’ which places a focus on sustained performance and organisation demonstrating “an overall culture that is innovative and consistently supportive of the development of the finance capability throughout the organisation.”
Kimberli McKinlay, Deputy Director of Finance, is proud of the achievement:
“This recognition is thoroughly deserved and we are now the only Level 2 accredited Finance Team in our local ICS. I’m extremely proud of the team, we have a fantastic culture which mirror the Trust Values making it a great place to work. To achieve Level 2 we had to demonstrate a sustained high level of performance, innovation and a commitment to the supportive of the development of the finance capability throughout the organisation.”
We are proud of our Outstanding Finance team and want to wish them congratulations for this great achievement!
