Description
JOB SUMMARY
Assist to ensure that financial information is processed in accordance with DoH, Trust and legal guidelines to enable the production of timely and accurate management accounts for the Trust. Ensuring financial information is processed in accordance with procedures
Investigate financial queries and provide assistance & advice as required. Investigate financial queries and provide financial advice and support to other Trust departments.
ROLE OF DEPARTMENT
Provision of an efficient financial management service to the Trust and its budget holders, working closely with all divisions and departments throughout the Trust to ensure that key business objectives are met. Supporting the Trust in the achievement of all relevant financial and statutory duties, providing information to assist decision-making and strategic planning and maximising the efficient and effective use of resources.
KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
Divisional Accountants
Lead Divisional Accountants
Assistant Director of Finance (Management Accounts)
Other Senior Management Accounts Assistants
Assistant Directors of Finance - Strategy & Performance and Financial Accounts
Deputy Director of Finance
Business Managers
Ward managers, service heads and other budget holders
Internal and external audit
Finance staff at other NHS organisations
NEP Shared Services
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POST
Professional & Technical
- Assist the Lead Divisional Accountant(s) as appropriate with the preparation of annual budgets prior to the start of each financial year
- Provide supporting working papers to the budget setting process that allow for a transparent record of resource allocation
- Prepare month-end journals, including the calculation of accruals and prepayments, and input to the financial ledger system
- Assist in the process of preparing month-end schedules and analysis
- Assist in all aspects of supplying financial information to budget holders and other finance staff including variance analysis, analysis of pay and non-pay, evaluating a range of options. This will involve providing and receiving complex information, some of which may be sensitive
- Meet with ward managers etc. to discuss current financial position and any factors that may impact on the forecast position, including sensitive issues such as pay details, overtime payments etc
- Support the design and development of supplementary reports analysing activity, income and expenditure, presenting these reports to Management Accounts staff and budget holders as appropriate
- Support the Divisional Accountant in analysing financial trends and identifying issues which may impact on the forecast outturn
- Process payroll and stores interfaces on a monthly basis and upload to the general ledger ensuring that all errors are resolved
- Interrogate various financial and non-financial systems to derive relevant information, extracting data as required and collating as appropriate
- Liaise with NHS and non-NHS organisations in the supply of financial information
- Help ensure compliance with relevant accounting standards and practices within NHS guidelines and implement agreed procedural change
- Provide input and support to the annual reference costs exercise and Service Line Reporting (SLR) as required
- Develop and maintain an awareness of all key Trust-wide financial issues and contribute to the achievement of the Trust's financial targets
- Support the provision of information necessary to allow internal and external audit to perform their duties and implement agreed audit recommendations in a timely manner
- Carry out any ad hoc work as may be required from time to time to satisfy the requirements of the Finance Department and the Trust
Management
- Build good working relationships with designated budget holders and gain an understanding of the specific issues affecting budgets and use this relationship to inform financial reporting and senior finance colleagues
- Ensure systems and processes are in place to maintain sound financial management
Administration
- Manage own time in accordance with the annual budget and month end timetables, ensuring all deadlines are met on a timely basis
- Ensure adequate procedure notes are available and kept up to date for all aspects of the finance function that the post-holder is responsible for. Proposes changes to procedure notes to deliver efficiencies in the finance department
Education
- Deliver informal training to work colleagues on a range of subjects related to own area and a range of general procedures
- Provide guidance and interpretation of the Trust's Financial Procedures and Standing Financial Instructions where necessary
- Maintain relevant knowledge of national and NHS accounting regulations
- Take a pro-active approach to maintaining personal and professional effectiveness in an evolving role
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