Job summary
- Main area
- Finance
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8b
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 409-S6188213
- Employer
- Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Knowsley Community College
- Town
- Huyton
- Salary
- £58,972 - £68,525 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 12/05/2024 23:59
- Interview date
- 22/05/2024
Employer heading
Finance Business Partner
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Job overview
We are currently seeking a Finance Business Partner to join our dynamic team at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospital, where culture and leadership are paramount. We foster an inclusive and collaborative environment that values innovation, encourages personal growth, and recognises exceptional leadership. As a forward-thinking organisation, we prioritise the well-being and development of our employees, providing them with opportunities to thrive and make a meaningful impact. If you are seeking a workplace that celebrates diversity, embraces teamwork, and offers outstanding leadership support, we invite you to apply and become an integral part of our success story.
Interview Date: 22nd May 2024
Main duties of the job
As Finance Business Partner, you will provide support to clinical divisions within the Trust reporting to the Assistant Director of Finance and working alongside the Divisional Triumvirate, providing leadership and direction to the Division, comprising a range of clinical specialties across four geographical sites (Whiston Hospital, St Helens Hospital, Southport Hospital and Ormskirk Hospital)
The post holder will be responsible for leading and managing the business and financial aspects of the Division and activity information. This includes ensuring efficient and effective business systems are in place with appropriate processes. The planning and preparation of performance information to inform the strategic direction of the division, which will encompass benchmarking, business planning and costing information.
The postholder is responsible for ensuring a professional, comprehensive, and efficient service is provided to senior managers, budget holders and external stakeholders including commissioners.
To achieve this, the post holder will be expected to collaborate with IT, Information and Finance staff to meet business requirements and to ensure the effective delivery of overall aims and programmes of work and responsibilities.
Working for our organisation
The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.
From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.
The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.
Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:
- CARE that is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
- SAFETY that is of the highest standards
- COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
- SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
- PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients
Our achievements include:
- Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Please see our Wellbeing & Benefits booklet for more information on our staff benefits. Accessible version available upon request.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To support the Assistant Director of Finance with all aspects of financial management of the division to ensure financial viability and to work with Clinicians and Managers to assess and improve the profitability and productivity of the Care Group.
- To provide the division and the trust with comprehensive financial information and advice relating to all service aspects to enable and support managers to plan and monitor delivery of their services efficiently and effectively.
- To support the Assistant Director of Finance with the preparation of divisional income and expenditure budgets in accordance with guidelines and deadlines provided by the Director of Finance.
- To lead the financial and economic appraisal of business cases developed by the Division at the same time as challenging the Division to ensure value for money is delivered. Ensure that financial risks within the cases are fully understood, and that benefits realisations and performance are monitored once the case is operational.
- To lead on the reviewing of cost-based management information for the division to ensure that the cost of delivering the service is accurately reflected. To undertake benchmarking to enable comparison and evaluation when necessary.
- To support the Division in business forecasting for the annual business planning cycle and in year monitoring for both income and expenditure, in terms of modelling and analysing future scenarios around changes in demand, activity and resultant capacity requirements.
- To support the division in the management of the expenditure and income budgets, advising on variances and challenging on adverse expenditure and developing monthly forecasting plans throughout the financial year. Continually act to promote financial control and stewardship to safeguard the use of funds and promote value for money. Ensure the appropriate use of funds within the Care Group.
- To support the division in the identification and monitoring of cost improvement plans.
- To support the division in reviewing skill mix and expenditure to provide a cost-effective service.
- Ensure that detailed working papers are prepared and kept on the audit file.
- To liaise with auditors and ensure all requested information is supplied in a timely manner and that all relevant audit recommendations are implemented.
- Exercise independent judgement and initiative when problems arise and take appropriate action to resolve areas of concern.
- To support clinicians and managers within the Division in having access to financial and non-financial business intelligence information through the development of increased levels of automation of performance data.
- To work with the Contracts and Income team to refine costings per unit of activity so the division can critically analyse their costs to inform Service Line Management.
- To devise and propose a recommended costing solution, in association with the Trust’s Finance Department to the division, having taken into account all the Divisional and Trust requirements and constraints.
- To devise administrative systems to capture and analyse data, such that different levels of analysis will flow.
- To ensure that Patient Level Costing is incorporated within the Divisional financial systems such that it becomes an inherent part of the Division’s financial and management reporting.
- To research all available benchmarking methodologies and identify those which may be applicable to the various functions within the Division.
- To be responsible for specifying and collating all benchmarking financial and non-financial information.
- To establish a network of various relevant external comparators / organisations, and routine mechanisms for the exchange of data
- To generate divisional benchmarking reports for the Divisional management team.
- To provide the financial and activity/information input to develop the Business Plans for the Division and to develop option appraisals for different programmes of work to maximise their respective contribution.
- Liaise with external advisors for specific expertise e.g. Taxation and Legal considerations.
- Monitor the market share and demand to ensure activity and income.
- Prepare an annual strategic plan which includes appropriate material to promote MWL Services.
- Develop comprehensive business plans when required liaising Trust-wide as appropriate.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Fully Qualified CCAB or CIMA Accountant
- Educated to degree level (or equivalent) in Accounting.
- Evidence of continuous professional development
Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria
- Excellent communication skills both written and verbal and all levels.
- Financial Analysis and forecasting
- Excel to advanced level.
- Good understanding of accounting processes.
- Ability to provide detailed costings in relation to episodes of activity
- Demonstrate an entrepreneurial and innovative approach to problem solving.
- Ability to work without supervision and own initiative
- Ability to work under pressure and prioritise effectively.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Post qualification experience in a senior financial management position
- Experience of managing a team, to provide high quality and accurate financial support to the Support Services Care Grou
- Sufficient experience of business analysis to be able to demonstrate a thorough grasp of cost and income drivers to make the Care Group contribute to the success of the Trust.
- Management experience of a team which will include dealing with disciplinary and grievance issues, performance and sickness absence.
- Presentation of financial and non- financial information
- Working with non-finance staff
- sound understanding of NHS funding streams
- Experience of performing reconciliations and explaining to non-Finance colleagues
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of computerised financial systems.
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of the NHS Trust financial regime.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Catherine Youds
- Job title
- Deputy Director of Finance Strategy
- Email address
- [email protected]
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