The financial awareness of managers in the reformed NHS

Managers in the NHS are facing financial reforms which will impact greatly on their role. In general terms, service managers tend to be functionally trained and their financial awareness has not been a pre-requisite for their selection. Their ability to respond to their new role requirements is therefore untested, but it represents a crucial factor in the success of the reforms. This article examines the financial awareness of a group of managers who need financial skills, drawn from a range of work categories. The results indicate that there is room for the managers in the sample to improve their financial awareness, and reports that significant differences between work categories may be expected. However, the managers expressed satisfaction with the financial information they received although this information could be better presented. Given the increased complexities of financial information produced in the reformed NHS, these managers will require further training if they are to fulfil their new role to their true potential.