Dear Colleagues,

Summer holiday season is in full swing. I hope for those of you with children you are managing the juggle, and finding some time out of the office for all of those day trips and adventures. My three children have certainly been keeping me on my toes, and we have been to the park more times than I can count! 

This month we bring you an update on our participation in the nationally-led Insights Placement Programme as we celebrate those students finishing their one year placement this August, and welcome the new cohort ready to start in September. The scheme is a brilliant initiative and introduces NHS Finance to individuals who may previously have not considered the NHS as an employer, or finance as a potential career. 

As we finished term 1 in July, we had a pause and reflect moment on the brilliant feedback we've been getting. We've been sharing comments on LinkedIn via Feedback Friday, so if you aren't already following our page, click here and join us for regular updates.

Other updates this month include:

• Information on our new Book Club, part of a wellbeing drive in the Academy to provide regional activities for our members
• An update on Sponsorship and how it could help you
• An overview of award season - do you know someone or a team who deserves regional or national recognition?
• Save the date for Connect 2026 - our annual digital conference is in April next year

Thank you so much to colleagues who have reached out and connected with the Academy in my first 6 months in post. For those who have expressed an interest in joining one of our networks, we are reaching out to you during August to invite you to our next meetings. I have also enjoyed getting out across the Region to meet with teams, facilitate away days and provide further support and information on accreditation, sponsorship, talent management and more. If you have an upcoming team development session, are one of our member organisations and would like free support from myself and the team in running team building sessions, please get in touch via southeast.academy@nhs.net or to me directly on victoria.deakin1@nhs.net.

Enjoy the rest of the summer, I'm told the sunshine is meant to be returning for a few weeks so you'll be finding me in the garden when I can!

Victoria 

The NHS Finance Insights Placement scheme offers paid work experience in NHS organisations throughout England to individuals aged 18 and above, who do not plan to attend university and come from lower socio-economic backgrounds. We introduced this scheme to the South East in 2024, and have had two students for the past 12 months in our region. Feedback has been positive and both students have enjoyed their time with their host organisations, embracing opportunities and learning about the world of NHS Finance. 

Recruitment for the next intake commenced in earnest in the spring, with our selection process taking place in June. We are fortunate in the South East that despite recruitment freezes and national targets to reduce workforce, 5 organisations have offered placements to students for September 2025. It was a pleasure meeting and talking to the candidates, so many of whom showed genuine passion for the NHS and a desire to learn and develop over the 12 month placement, and we send our congratulations to the successful students who will be joining us on 1st September across the region.

As well as their time on placement in a paid band 2 level role, both One NHS Finance and the South East Regional Academy will be running a range of development sessions for them over the course of the year to support with aspects such as technical skills on Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint, through to confidence and presentational skills, and personal statement writing and interview practice.

If you are interested in finding out more, or being a host organisation for the 2026 intake please get in touch with Chris Fleckney, Project Manager, who is coordinating this Programme in the South East - chris.fleckney@nhs.net. 

Spotlight on You

This is the section where we like to give recognition to colleagues across the South East. If you know of anyone who has achieved excellence in their exam results, taken part in something unusual, or just deserves a thank you and well done, do let us know and we will feature them in a future newsletter.

Following years of study, we are delighted to pass on our congratulations to Kath Stocks from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust. Kath is one of our Value Makers, and shared with us recently that she successfully passed her final case study exam after many years of studying. The satisfaction and pride that comes with such an achievement cannot be underestimated, so from all of us at the South East Regional Academy, well done Kath, we think you're brilliant! 

Kath joins the nearly 600 colleagues across the South East who hold a CCAB or equivalent qualification. If you would like to find out more about getting qualified, check out our lunch and learn sessions on the Skills Development Network website and book on to hear from accountancy bodies about what is involved.

Calling all South East NHS Bookworms! 📚

We are thrilled to announce a new initiative, aimed at boosting our collective health and wellbeing. Our South East Digital SDN Manager Lois is an avid reader in her spare time, so it made perfect sense for her to set this up for the South East.

If you love reading and discussing books with like minded people, this is for you. Lois will be creating a space to share perspectives, foster connections, and support your wellbeing through the magic of books.

We are planning an initial get-together at the end of August. This informal session will be a chance to introduce ourselves, explore our NHS Futures page, chat about summer reads, and vote on our first book.

Want to help co-run the club? Reach out now! 

Ready to join the club? Please complete this short survey to help us tailor the book club to your interests. 

Photo credit: James Christensen of MTC Europe delivering a brilliant session on "Doing it Like Disney" customer service

Term 1 SDN Events Conclude

As many of you may have seen over on our LinkedIn page, we recently wrapped up our Term 1 events (April - July 2025) and what a productive term it has been. Our 'Feedback Friday' posts have provided a retrospective look at our accomplishments over the last term and highlight just how many great comments we get on our courses and facilitators.

We're proud to have delivered a range of development opportunities and many of you are earning Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours with us. We strongly encourage colleagues within our member organisations to sign up, all courses are included within your annual membership.

Here's just a few of our achievements over the last term: 

• We trained 837 delegates, compared to 700 in the same term last year.
• DNA's down - we had 32 delegates classed as 'did not attend' compared to 72 in 2024/25, despite training more people. 
• 2,329 CPD hours of training delivered
• 11 events ran at 100% capacity compared to 8 in the same term last year
• £27.87 average cost per delegate as opposed to £45.14 last year, demonstrating the value we can provide in securing cost effective training solutions for our member organisations.

Term 2 (September - December 2025) events are now live for booking on the Skills Development Network site. Plus, keep an eye out for our new Digital Prospectus this Autumn, which will provide upcoming opportunities specifically aimed at Digital, Data and Technology colleagues and will run September 2025 - August 2026.

Advocating for Sponsorship | Geoff Lawrence 

“The Sponsorship Programme from One NHS Finance is now entering its 7th year and as we navigate a period of change and uncertainty, supporting our staff through this difficult time has never been more important.

The Sponsorship programme is there to support our staff that are under-represented at senior levels, through a reciprocal arrangement whereby someone in a more senior position guides and positively impacts their Sponsee’s career progression. Guidance, insightful advice, reassurance and networking are some of the many tools that Sponsors use. As the relationship progresses and the scheme matured, we have found that our new generation of Sponsors were once Sponsees themselves sharing first hand experiences and the tools that they found useful on their own career journeys.

Want to know more? Then use this link The Sponsorship Programme where you can find all of the information on how to join the programme plus some blogs and vlogs exploring the benefits.”

Geoff Lawrence - Associate Director of Contracts and Due Diligence, Kent & Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust 

Get your Nominations In

Do you know someone who always puts in that little bit of extra effort? The one in the team who is a whizz at costing, and provides expert advice? Or the clinician who champions financial engagement and is your go to colleague? Have you considered how appreciative these colleagues might be on receiving the news that you had nominated them for an award?

Award Season is officially upon us. Our partners at HFMA love to celebrate success and it is that time of year where you have the opportunity to formally nominate and recognise colleagues for a range of awards. In September we have the South Central HFMA branch annual conference, followed in October by the Kent, Surrey and Sussex HFMA branch annual conference, and finally HFMA's annual national conference in London in December. 

We have listed below the awards you could be considering, and encourage you to take the time to celebrate success. 

SOUTH CENTRAL - deadline 1 September, apply here

• Finance Team of the Year
• Rising Star bands 2-6
• Digital Technology, Innovation or Costing
• Diversity, Inclusion and Development

KENT, SURREY, SUSSEX - deadline 26 September, apply here

• Finance Team of the Year 
• Rising Star Award bands 2 – 6
• Working with Clinicians
• Guiding Star

NATIONAL - deadline 3 October, apply here

• Addressing health inequalities through NHS finance action
• Deputy Finance Director of the Year
• Finance Director of the Year
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Environmental Sustainability
• Finance Champion of the Year
• Delivering Value with Digital Technologies
• Finance Team of the Year
• Governance Award
• Havelock Award
• Healthcare Value
• Rising Star
• Working with Finance - Clinician of the Year

Get Ready for South East Connect 2026

Our South East Digital Skills Development network has formed its conference committee and planning is well underway for South East Connect 2026. This year's event promises to be more impactful and valuable than ever before. 

The event will take place on 30th April 2026, at the stunning Epsom Downs Racecourse. This unique local event is designed to bring together Finance, Procurement, and DDaT professionals who are passionate about digital transformation.

We will be offering the following at this one day event:

• Key Speakers: Hear from experts and thought leaders on topics most relevant to you.

• Meaningful Connections: Network with peers and make valuable contacts within the South East Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) community.

• Supplier Engagement: Connect with key suppliers in a more intimate and productive setting than large-scale conferences.

Don't miss out, live booking will be launching via the Skills Development Network site soon!

Update for South East Procurement Colleagues

Following the launch of our Procurement Working Group in May, we have been busy behind the scenes preparing to launch a dedicated Procurement training prospectus in 2026. Thanks to our existing contacts, we have compiled a list of trainers and facilitators and will now be engaging with colleagues across the South East to find out more about what training you would find most beneficial.

If you have some suggestions or ideas of training courses you would like to see, please get in touch with Chris Fleckney on chris.fleckney@nhs.net or join us for one of our working group discussions - dates are listed below, and MS Teams links can be shared on request. 

UPCOMING DATES

• Thursday 28 August  10:30 - 11:30
• Thursday 25 September  10:30 - 11:30
• Thursday 6 November  10:30 - 11:30
• Thursday 18 December  10:30 - 11:30