AH ANNUAL REPORT 2018

KEY RISKS TO DELIVERY IN 2017/18
The Trust’s key risks were articulated in the Board
Assurance Framework, which was reviewed on
a monthly basis by the Board and its assurance
committees throughout the year. The three most
significant risks were: financial sustainability in a
challenging environment; ability to continue to grow;
and workforce supply challenges. The chief risk
to quality related to sustaining the Trust’s ability to
provide the best possible care to our children given
the financial challenges across the system. The Board
agreed that as far as possible front line services must
be safeguarded and the work carried out in the last
three years to ensure optimum nurse staffing levels
should be protected. The Trust was fortunate to be able
to continue with its nurse recruitment programme and
avoid the acute staffing shortages suffered by many
NHS organisations, also enabling it to cease utilising
agency nursing other than for those areas experiencing
skills deficits nationally, such as critical care. The Trust’s
other key risk concerned the delivery of the activity
plan, which was central to the organisation’s ability
to achieve the control total set by NHS Improvement.
Threats to securing the requisite run rate are
traditionally most acutely felt during the winter period
when peaks of childhood respiratory conditions impact
upon the elective surgical programme. The Trust-wide
work undertaken to develop and implement a robust
Winter Plan meant that the activity plan was delivered
and the organisation achieved a strong set of financial
results which are described on the right.
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust 20
Annual Report & Accounts 2017/18