Contracts Manager

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a seasoned professional to develop and implement a comprehensive Trust Contracting Strategy, negotiating contracts with clinical commissioners and ensuring alignment with national guidance. You will manage relationships, produce contract proposals, and monitor performance across NHS contracts.

The role involves leading on tariff-related matters, NHS Payment System rollout, and shared care arrangements, with deputising duties for senior

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a Trust Contracting Strategy with the Head of Contracts and colleagues across the Trust.
• Negotiate the Trust’s legal Contracts with clinical commissioners.
• Be the Trust’s expert on commissioned Services, The National Tariff and the NHS Operating Framework ensuring staff are briefed and changes implemented.
• Interpret and implement national and local Commissioning policies and business intentions.
• Manage day-to-day relationships with commissioners and ensure timely, coordinated responses to activity or performance issues.
• Produce contract proposals and obtain sign-off with commissioners in line with national timetables to meet Access targets.
• Ensure timely production and distribution of monthly contract monitoring reports to Commissioners and operational leads.
• Develop contract workshops for key Trust user groups to improve understanding, transparency and engagement.
• Coordinate communication over policies and performance targets between commissioners and Trust clinical services; assess clinical implications and activity management needs.
• Support NHS Payment System rollout and advise on issues affecting Trust income and performance.
• Lead on shared care contract arrangements with NHS or Private Sector providers; deputise for Senior Contracts Managers as required.
• Financial aspects of contracting: maximise contract income through comprehensive negotiation with commissioners and identify recovery opportunities.
• External communication: manage relationships with Commissioners & Providers and run formal reviews to resolve contractual issues promptly.
• Provide complex information to commissioners regarding contract activity performance and respond to information requests in a timely manner.
• Maintain links with London teaching hospitals and act as the main interface on issues common to all Trusts such as the National Tariff implementation.
• Internal communication: oversee contract monitoring tools, coordinate information requests, and ensure workshops with clinical service users are held.
• Develop specifications for data reporting by the Contract Information team and ensure timely, quality reporting.
• Produce internal and external reports to deadlines; the contracting function operates within a well-led Finance Department to mitigate contractual risks and maximise value.
• Manage contracting end-to-end: negotiate and agree NHS patient-treatments contracts and monitor performance to optimise income recovery and value for money.

Job description

Main Duties and Responsibilities

NHS Contracting

Develop and implement a Trust Contracting Strategy in conjunction with the Head of Contracts and colleagues across the Trust.

Responsible for the negotiation of the Trust’s legal Contracts with clinical commissioners.

Be the Trust’s expert on commissioned Services, The National Tariff and the NHS Operating Framework ensuring that key staff are fully briefed, and implement, where required, changes mandated by national guidance.

Interpret and implement national and local Commissioning policies and business intentions.

Manage day-to-day relationships with commissioners and ensure responses to any activity or performance issues raised are both timely and coordinated.

Responsible for the production of Contract proposals and that subsequent sign off with commissioners is in line with national timetables, ensuring that funded activity levels are robust and enable the Trust to meet national Access targets.

Ensure timely production and distribution of monthly contract monitoring reports to Commissioners and, working with Operational leads, to respond to issues from commissioners on contract performance.

Develop contract workshops for key Trust user groups to improve the levels of understanding, increase transparency and improve engagement of NHS Contracts.

Manage and co-ordinate communication over policies and performance targets between commissioners and Trust clinical services, including understanding the clinical implications of managing particular services and making judgements about when activity management is appropriate.

Manage the implementation of the continued roll out of The NHS Payment System (NHSPS) and to advise the Finance Director and Assistant Director of Performance & Contracts on issues relating to the NHSPS that could impact upon Trust income and performance.

Lead on shared care contract arrangements relating to specialised services and management with other NHS or Private Sector providers.

Deputise for Senior Contracts Managers as required.

Financial Aspects of Contracting

To ensure that the Trust’s contract income is maximised by comprehensive negotiation with commissioners.

To ensure that all possible opportunities to recover income are identified and invoiced for.

To ensure that contract over performance income is received by the Trust.

External Communication

Manage the day-to-day relationships and communication with a range of Commissioners & Providers and initiate formal review meetings to ensure that all contractual issues are raised and resolved promptly and effectively.

Manage the provision of complex information to commissioners relating to contract activity performance.

Assess and action commissioner requests on information and contract performance and manage the process of responding in a timely manner.

Maintain links and close communication with other London Teaching hospitals and act as the main interface for the Trust on issues that are common to all Trusts such as the implementation of The National Tariff.

Internal Communication

Manage and coordinate communication with clinical services in respect of any implications of NHS guidance and the Operating Framework. To be the Trust’s strategic lead on developing robust contract monitoring tools for the NHSE contract.

Manage and coordinate communication with clinical services in relation to requests for information on Trust services and the treatment of individuals. To prioritise information requests and ensure that responses are set to an appropriate timescale.

Ensure that Managers are implementing the Trust’s Contracting Strategy and are kept up to date with the Trust’s contracting and funding processes including an understanding of the implications of commissioning and resource constraints on the management of clinical activity. To be responsible for ensuring that regular contract workshops are held with key clinical service users.

Responsible for developing specifications for data reporting to be provided by the Contract Information team and the modification of specifications in the light of discussions with commissioners.

Manage the production of internal and external reports to agreed deadlines and quality standards.

The Contracting function is embedded within a very well-led Finance Department that offers fantastic opportunities for training and career growth. The team provides a highly effective and responsive contracts management service, ensuring compliance with the National NHS Standard Contract Terms and Conditions, identifying and mitigating contractual risks (to minimise Trust’s exposure), whilst delivering its operations in line with organisational values and objectives.

Day-to-day team function involves developing, negotiating and agreeing NHS patient-treatment contracts on behalf of the Trust, providing ongoing contract management by proactively monitoring and managing contract performance to ensure maximum income recovery (on income generating contracts) and value for money (on expenditure contracts).

The successful candidate will bring a high level of expertise to the management of the Trust’s contracting process and act as the main interface with Commissioners. The role will ensure Trust compliance with all contractual obligations, interpret, advise and implement national guidance in respect of the National Tariff. Furthermore, the post-holder will manage complex and challenging discussions with internal and external stakeholders regarding a range of commissioned activities, lead team projects end-to-end, support tender development and engage commissioners in local service developments.