Mr Patrick McGinley

Trustee Role: Treasurer

Head of Costing & Service Line Reporting Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

I joined the NHS in 1983 as a Trainee Accountant, and despite some evidence to the contrary, in my heart I remain a trainee, trying to learn a little more each day. I have worked in a variety of Finance and Operational roles in a range of organisations in London and South East England, and I started at MTW, my local trust, in time to complete the PFI modelling for a new hospital at Pembury, and start taking my 3 children to school. The boys finished school well before the PFI was paid off.

As Head of Costing, I am responsible for all our statutory NHS cost returns at the hospital, and it has been obvious for a significant period that Obesity is a hidden disease within the NHS, where it is badly reported at best, and this is reflected throughout society.

If we do not develop and publicise the science behind the complex disease of Obesity, then we cannot hope to be reporting its costs accurately and we are under estimating the impact on other clinical diseases and conditions. My hope is that we recognise Obesity as a complex, chronic disease, and move to recognising what we already spend is used to deliver better value in the future.