Assistant Income and Costing Accountant

St. Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Knowsley; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

The post holder will assist the Income and Contracting Team with day-to-day management and reporting of income from patient care activities, plus other operating income. You will gain a broad understanding of NHS finance and the NHS Payment Scheme as well as costing, and assist with the quarterly Service Line Reporting (SLR).

You will work to help ensure accurate ledgers, contribute to financial planning, and build effective relationships with colleagues across the Directorate and external NHS

Qualifications

• AAT Level 4 (Technician) or equivalent qualification.
• GCSE Maths - Grade 9-4 (A*-C) or equivalent.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills, able to maintain effective working relationships, both internal and external to the Directorate/ICB's.
• Strong IT skills, intermediate level experience using Microsoft Office suite and accurate keyboard skills.
• Understanding of accountancy policies, procedures and relevant legislation.
• Experience of General Ledgers.
• Experience of working within a Finance department.

Responsibilities

• Please see attached job description and person specification for main responsibilities and requirements.
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Skills

Communication

IT skills

General Ledgers

Finance dept experience

Education

AAT Level 4

GCSE Maths

Tools

Oracle General Ledger

Civica SLAM

Job description

After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third‑party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to "name of trust" transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Job overview

The post holder will assist the Income and Contracting Team in the day‑to‑day management and reporting of Income from patient care activities, plus other operating Income. The post holder will acquire an overall knowledge of NHS finance and a good understanding of Income, in particular the NHS Payment Scheme mechanism and Costing, and assisting with the completion of quarterly Service Line Reporting (SLR).

Main duties of the job

• To ensure that procedure notes are kept up to date and accurately reflect current practice.
• To manage own workload and ensure that work is delivered within the team's timetabled dates.
• To be a valuable member of the Trust's Finance Department and contribute to the delivery of its overall objectives.
• To establish and maintain effective working relationships with other individuals of the Directorate, other employees of the Trust, colleagues from other NHS organisations, and officers from other agencies to ensure the delivery of a professional service focused on achieving a high level of customer satisfaction.
• Responsible for the maintenance of Income in the General Ledger, though accruals and adjustments, to ensure that all contractual and non‑contract income is accounted for correctly. Using Oracle and Business Intelligence reports, such as transaction reports, to verify that information is being reported correctly.

Working for our organisation

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification for main responsibilities and requirements.

Person specification

Our Values

Essential criteria

• We are Kind
• We are Open
• We are Inclusive

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• AAT Level 4 (Technician) or equivalent qualification
• GCSE Maths - Grade 9-4 (A*-C) or equivalent

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Good communication and interpersonal skills, able to maintain effective working relationships, both internal and external to the Directorate/ICB's
• Strong IT skills, intermediate level experience using Microsoft Office suite and accurate keyboard skills.
• Understanding of accountancy policies, procedures and relevant legislation
• Experience of General Ledgers.
• Experience of working within a Finance department

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of the Oracle General Ledger system
• Experience using Civica SLAM
• Knowledge of Department of Health invoicing guidance
• Knowledge of NHS Payment by Results guidance
• Knowledge of National Cost Collection (NCC) and Patient level Costing (PLICS)

Skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to analyse, investigate and interpret financial information and queries
• Well organised, able to prioritise own workload and able to be flexible to deliver to tight deadlines
• The ability to concentrate for prolonged periods and switch between task
• The ability to adhere to statutory financial regulations and NHS rules

Desirable criteria

• Ability to report and present financial information to both finance and non‑finance individuals (internal and external)

Other

Essential criteria

• Identifies and takes responsibility for own personal development and learning through the PDP process.
• Able to develop and use IT appropriately to meet given objectives.
• Presents a positive and professional image of the directorate

Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward‑thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.

Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people's race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under‑represented groups.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.