Assurance Director Louise Cobain features on HFMA Podcast
The new HFMA NHS Audit Committee Handbook was published in March 2024. The handbook provides a wealth of knowledge and information for finance colleagues and audit committee members supporting them in their roles. MIAA played a significant role in contributing to the updated publication.
Last week, Assurance Director, Louise Cobain took part in an HFMA podcast to discuss the key updates, MIAA’s role in the rewrite and the topics covered in the updated edition and how this can support both finance colleagues and Audit Committee members.
The handbook has been designed to help NHS governing bodies and audit committees in reviewing and reassessing their system of governance, risk management, and control. This is to make sure the governance remains effective and fit for purpose, whilst also ensuring that there is a robust system of assurance to evidence it.
Louse continued: To help highlight the significant updates, MIAA have created a briefing that set out the major changes between the previous handbook and the new version. We were keen that the key learning points are reiterated at the end of every chapter. We ensured that comments from our clients around advice on working together on joint financial objectives and duties and getting a wider range of views were incorporated. The chapters on current issues will be regularly updated and will be increasingly important as we move to wider system assurance."
The complete rewrite and consists of over 20 chapters of helpful information with areas to support audit committee members and Non Executive Directors and covering topics including audit, assurance, counter-fraud and cyber security. It covers why audit committees are important and how they should be set up.
