The NHS “cannot afford” to continue as it does now, according to the head of the health services’ finance association claims.
Speaking on a BBC Radio 4 special called Costing the NHS, Tony Whitfield, said the finance profession and the NHS must change.
When interviewed the president of the Healthcare Financial Management Association said even the mechanisms through which people get paid must change.
He said: “The NHS must respond to the needs of an aging population, changes in the prevalence of disease and reap the benefits of advances in technology.
“We cannot afford to continue with the NHS as it is now. Services need to change and finance staff have a key role in supporting that change.”
He was amongst guests invited to debate the NHS funding gap – its current impact and solutions for the future.
Other guests included health select committee chair, Stephen Dorrell and Sir David Nicholson, chief executive of NHS England.
