Financial planning and control in hospitals
The requirement to submit a Dissertation as part of the M.Sc. degree presented me with a long awaited opportunity to up-date my lmowledge of Financial Planning and Control Systems operating in N.H.S. hospitals. I first became interested in this during the period 1949-1957 when I was employed in Theasurer' s Departments at both a Regional Hospital Board and a Hospital Management Committee. It was, of course, during these early years of the N.H.S. (the "appointed day" being 5.7.1948) that the initial financial control systems were introduced and I was anxious to see how far they had changed, particularly in view of the very radical changes that have taken place in the field of Management Accouritancyin the Public and Private Sectors generally. I also wanted to look at Financial Planning and Control systems operating in hospitals in other countries (and in the U.K. Private Sector too) to see what, if anything, they had to offer N.H.S. hospital control mechanisms. Furthermore, as a Polytechnic Lecturer in Management Accounting I have amongst my students many from the N.H.S. including Senior Nursing Staff, Administrators, Management Services Staffs and, of course, all levels of staff from Treasurer's Departments. How better to improve one's competence and expertise than to study the subject at leisure and in depth - the preparation of this Dissertation has afforded me this opportunity.
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