INTERNAL CONTROLS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME
T
he Internal Controls Improvement Programme is entering into its fifth month after being endorsed by the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Management Team earlier this year. The three-year programme involves a suite of improvements including: • strengthening our internal controls and compliance levels • improving staff awareness of the role they play in safeguarding our resources • revising and revamping the National Financial Regulations (NFRs) • delivering improved reporting and monitoring tools • driving an enhanced training programme The ultimate aim of the programme is to improve our system of internal control which provides trust and confidence in our financial information, encourages accountability and protects against fraud. The programme sponsor is Stephen Mulvany (CFO), with Mairead Dolan (Assistant CFO) and Monica Percy (General Manager, Governance & Compliance) of the National Finance Division acting as programme leads. The programme is being led by the NFD Finance Specialists Governance & Compliance team, but will also involve a range of staff from across various functions of the HSE, along with some external consultancy expertise.
The programme team have been preparing a range of communications and training webinars on a series of important topics relating to internal controls and during August, features on both Travel & Subsistence and Payroll & Leave will be released. Each feature will consist of a broadcast email, updated website content and a training webinar. Ultimately these features will aim to improve staff awareness of key control areas and provide important information about how they can comply with the requirements. Making the NFRs more user-friendly is also a key area of focus under the programme. With the support of key subject matter experts and an external consultancy firm, nine new NFR documents are currently in progress with a further two to commence shortly. Once approved, these regulations will be tested with the relevant staff who rely on them to carry out their daily responsibilities. There has also been a significant recruitment drive to roll out additional compliance related positions across areas such as Finance, HR & Payroll, Procurement and Community Management Support Units. To date, 23 additional staff have been hired and it’s envisaged these roles will develop a ‘second line of defence’ against non-compliance and poor internal controls.
If you or your team would like to know more about the programme or have any internal control questions, please feel free to contact the Governance & Compliance team at Govn.compliance@hse.ie
66 | HEALTH MATTERS AUTUMN 2021
066_HSE Health Matters_Internal Controls_Corporate.indd 66
30/08/2021 12:44
