The Department’s continued failure to deliver its accounts to an earlier timetable hampers effective and timely accountability of taxpayers’ money. Weaknesses in basic financial accounting at UKHSA, together with delays in the completion of local NHS audits, and a lack of resilience in the local audit market, meant the Department could not publish its 2022–23 group accounts until 25 January 2024, 10 months after the financial year-end. The Department set a deadline of 30 June 2023 for the com...

The Department’s continued failure to deliver its accounts to an earlier timetable hampers effective and timely accountability of taxpayers’ money. Weaknesses in basic financial accounting at UKHSA, together with delays in the completion of local NHS audits, and a lack of resilience in the local audit market, meant the Department could not publish its 2022–23 group accounts until 25 January 2024, 10 months after the financial year-end. The Department set a deadline of 30 June 2023 for the completion of the financial audits of 212 NHS providers and 148 NHS commissioners. Almost a quarter (23%) of NHS providers and more than a fifth (21%) of NH Type: conclusion | Number: 2 | Response status: accepted Government response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. year plan which aims to bring forward the publication of its Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) by at least one month per year and targets a return to pre-summer recess laying for the 2026- 27 financial year. For