Martin Turner
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Martin Turner |
Chief Executive Officer, Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust
Martin was originally interested in the accountancy profession partly because he liked working with numbers, but also because the opportunity presented itself. 'I saw an advert in a local paper offering training as an accountant in the Health Service and I felt that was the right course for me.'
The accountant who gave Martin his trainee opportunity was an ACCA member and spoke highly of its stature within the profession, which influenced his choice of qualification.
Studying for the qualification took five years - through correspondence, working 15 hours a week in evenings and weekends - an arduous process. 'Balancing the amount of study hours with the demands of a full time job and a family life was the main challenge to overcome,' he recalls.
The main benefits of putting in that effort have been, in Martin's view, 'professional standing, personal satisfaction and the support it has been to my career. Students should never lose sight of the fact that accountancy is a highly-regarded profession and one which offers career progression in both finance and general management.'
Having joined the NHS as a finance trainee in 1969, Martin went on to cover every aspect of accountancy practice for the health service. 'It was a fascinating time to be in the NHS as an accountant - it was a period that saw the introduction of financial management, the advent of computing and the ensuing development of local management,' he remembers.
'I was particularly interested in financial management and was fortunate to head the development and implementation of the first delegated budgetary management control system in Wales - a great experience which gave me exposure to all levels of management at its formative stage.'
After qualifying as an accountant, Martin held several posts providing healthcare services to the people of Wales. Following reconfiguration of Trusts in Wales, the former Glan Hafren NHS Trust, Gwent Community Health Trust and Nevill Hall & District Trust merged to form a single trust for the whole of Gwent. Martin is currently Chief Executive of Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust which provides a comprehensive range of health services for approximately 600,000 people. The Trust has a budget of over £380 million and employs some 12,000 staff, and is one of the largest in the UK.
Martin has acted as lead surveyor for the King's Fund Accreditation process, advising other trusts on their organisational and management arrangements. 'In addition, I have participated in the King's Fund Development Programme involving educational and consultancy tours of the UK, United States and Sweden. During 2000 I spent three months in Boston where I successfully completed the Harvard Senior Management Programme. I was also commissioned by the European Union to advise it and the Lithuanian Government on the development of health services within that country. Most recently I have undertaken consultancy work in Jamaica.'
In addition to his Trust commitments Martin has been, and continues to be, involved in many NHS activities across Wales and the UK. He is currently the Chairman of the Institute of Healthcare Management in Wales and a Fellow of the Centre for Health Leadership in Wales and often undertakes presentations and lectures to a wide and varied audiences.
Martin states that to some extent his career has developed opportunistically, but also based on thoughtful progression. The greatest challenge was leaving the comfortable accounting seat to enter general management.
The modern finance professional has fully to embrace lifelong learning principles for personal and professional development. 'Passing examinations is just the beginning, not the end, of the process.' Other vital qualities are integrity, trustworthiness and having the philosophy of finding solutions not just problems. 'ACCA members typically have a more rounded appreciation of accountancy, enabling them to develop beyond specialist areas,' he adds.
The most significant development Martin has noticed in the accounting profession since he qualified has been the growing importance of the role that accountancy skills now have in all strategy and policy development, particularly in the public sector.
The challenge the profession faces following the recent Enron and WorldCom affairs is to ensure that businesses understand the essential independence that the profession needs in order to deliver its audit function - particularly on behalf of stakeholders. 'Audit is very, very important. It must be seen as adding value to an organisation and providing an opportunity for financial development. Responsibility in accountancy means responsibility in practice, ensuring integrity and honesty.'