Joint ventures are soon to be all the rage, we hear.

And innovation has always been important to the NHS Confederation, that pace setter in the vanguard of change.

So what better occasion for the spirit of the age to be felt than at Confed chief Mike Farrar’s leaving party, which the organisation is seeking to fund using commercial sponsorship?

A forwarded email arrives from Confed letting us know they will be “holding a farewell reception for Mike Farrar at The Private Rooms, Buckingham Gate”.

It adds: “With over 150 members, politicians, partners and stakeholders attending, we have the unique opportunity for one organisation to support this event, giving you the chance to be associated with the reception.” In return, we’d be able to send five people to network with the guests.

We won’t know until 17 December if anyone took them up on the offer and we may never know how much this opportunity to pay for someone’s leaving do cost - answers on a postcard.