Public sector professionals from across Wales cleaned up at the Public Finance Awards in London last night (Wednesday 1 May), with one team scooping the top prize.
The annual awards ceremony, run in association with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), celebrates the people, organisations and services that demonstrate excellence and originality in public finance from across the UK.
NHS Wales walked away with an award commending them for their work in training and development, while Welsh housing association Cartrefi Conwy were praised for alternative models of service delivery bringing employment opportunities to local residents.
CIPFA President Sarah Howard said:
“The Public Finance Awards provide an opportunity to celebrate the fantastic work going on in not just our winners’ organisations, but across the entire public sector.
“In my year as President, I have had the privilege of seeing this first hand throughout the UK, and am proud to represent our members who are dedicated to delivering improved public services that change lives.”
Cartrefi Conwy and Creating Enterprise – Alternative Service Delivery Model of the Year
Cartrefi Conwy disrupted the traditional procurement model by creating a subsidiary that would offer employment opportunities to those furthest from the job market.
The subsidiary, Creating Enterprise, works with public and private sector clients to offer 12 or 18 month paid contracts to unemployed Cartrefi Conwy tenants. Tenants receive on-the-job training as well as being supported to complete formal qualifications to help them overcome future barriers to work.
Last year, nearly 40 Cartrefi Conwy tenants who had previously faced multiple barriers into the job market, gained paid employment.
Tony Deakin, Group Director of Resources, Cartrefi Conwy, said:
“Cartrefi Conwy are delighted to receive this prestigious award. Utilising our social enterprise subsidiary Creating Enterprise as our alternative service model for delivering housing improvement workstreams has delivered considerable efficiency back to the business and is significantly increasing our social impact.
“Working to this model we are able to ensure that work programmes continue to deliver value for money to the business, and that our tenants continue to benefit from the life enhancing opportunities we are able to offer through associated employment, training and volunteer up-skilling.”
NHS Wales Finance Academy – Finance Training and Development Initiative
NHS Wales employed a collaborative and inclusive approach to allow staff across an entire country to learn and network across organisational boundaries.
The NHS Wales Finance Academy represents an entire country’s NHS finance function coming together to improve personal development and operational finance. Every member of staff working in NHS Wales finance is a member of the academy and takes part in a range of activities including mentoring, creating space to try out new financial techniques, developing a talent pipeline, and nurturing strategic partnerships with universities.
Rebecca Richards, Director, NHS Wales Finance Academy, said:
“We are absolutely delighted the Public Finance Awards have recognised the hard work and commitment of finance staff across the whole of NHS Wales who have the collective ambition to add value to the organisations they support and the populations they serve.
“We still have a long way to go in our ambitious programme of improvement. Sharing this award across the NHS Wales Finance community is a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate our progress so far.”
