Prior Approval and Audit/IFR Officer

Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB; Eastleigh; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days holiday

Sick pay policy

Occupational health services

Flexible working

Retirement vouchers

Six-month probation

Job summary

Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB is recruiting for a Prior Approval and Audit/IFR Officer (NHS AfC Band 5) in a hybrid role. You will support funding applications from GPs and consultants, ensuring policy-compliant decisions and contributing to audits and IFR panels.

The post offers development opportunities within the Clinical Policy Unit and cross‑functional collaboration. You will join a team focused on best-value use of NHS resources, with duties spanning policy implementation,

Qualifications

• Diploma/degree level qualification or equivalent experience.
• Good literacy and numeracy.
• Ability to handle complex, sensitive information.
• Experience dealing with patients or public.
• Experience organizing information and updating electronic records.

Responsibilities

• Review prior approval and funding applications against policy criteria.
• Communicate decisions clearly to referring clinicians.
• Maintain electronic case records and audit trail.
• Carry out compliance audits and reporting.
• Manage IFR process including screening and Panel.
• Monitor workloads and priorities for urgent cases.
• Support activity and performance reporting and systems.
• Provide flexible support across the service.
• Build relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.
• Work with governance, equality and inclusion principles.

Skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Problem solving

Team working

Meeting minutes

Equality & inclusion

Stakeholder management

Customer service

Education

Diploma/degree level qualifications

Tools

Blueteq System

Provider Portal

WordPress

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Access

Job description

Main area Clinical Policy Unit Grade NHS AfC: Band 5 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Hybrid working) Job ref 104-ICB-6484TG

Employer Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB Employer type NHS Site Hampshire Town Hampshire Salary £32,073 - £39,043 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 17/11/2026 23:59

Prior Approval and Audit/IFR Officer

NHS AfC: Band 5

Job overview

Please note this organisation does not hold a sponsorship licence, we regret to inform you that we are unable to consider applications from individuals who require sponsorship.

We are looking for 2 roles for this vacancy:

As a Prior Approval and Audit or Individual Funding Request Officer, you will support the leadership and day-to-day delivery of the Clinical Policy Implementation service. You will work with a dedicated team managing funding applications from GPs and consultants for treatments that are mainly subject to defined access criteria as well as those not normally funded on the NHS.

You will also contribute to compliance audits, activity reporting, and the management of Individual Funding Request panels.

Main duties of the job

This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated and highly organised individual to join the Clinical Policy Unit and help make a difference to patient care. Working within the Clinical Policy Implementation function, you will support the fair, consistent and effective application of clinical commissioning policies, helping to secure best value for public money and optimal clinical outcomes.

You will join a knowledgeable and supportive team with a shared commitment to improving patient outcomes, reducing unwarranted variation and ensuring NHS resources are used fairly and effectively. The role offers the opportunity to develop expertise in clinical policy implementation, funding-request management, assurance and audit while working collaboratively across organisational and professional boundaries.

Working for our organisation

We offer excellent employment opportunities to new and existing staff. We aim to be a model employer by embedding best HR practice and to support new ways of working.

We pride ourselves on offering good working conditions, job security, lifelong learning, fair pay and benefits, staff involvement and a balance between work and personal life.

We enjoy a forward thinking and innovative culture and our vision is to have healthy people, living healthy lives in healthy communities. We understand the only way to deliver this is to have the right people with the right skills.

Here is a summary of some of the benefits and services which are on offer to staff:

27 days paid minimum holiday and bank holiday entitlement

Sick pay policy

Occupational health services including staff counselling services

Flexible working and family friendly policies

Flexible retirement and retirement vouchers

Successful candidates will be subject to a six-month probationary period.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Review prior approval and other funding applications against agreed clinical policy criteria.

Communicate decisions, requests for further information and next steps clearly and professionally to referring clinicians.

Maintain accurate electronic case records and a complete audit trail, working within agreed processes, quality standards and response times.

Carry out compliance audits, including gathering and reviewing information, identifying themes and contributing to reports for stakeholders.

Manage the Individual Funding Request process including the IFR screening and Panel

Help monitor workloads and priorities so that urgent cases and service deadlines are managed effectively.

Contribute to activity and performance reporting and support the maintenance of relevant systems, forms and service information.

Provide flexible support across the service as necessary.

Build effective working relationships with colleagues in the Effectiveness and Value team, Business Intelligence, Finance, other ICB services, healthcare providers and clinical stakeholders.

Work in accordance with organisational values, information-governance requirements and equality, diversity and inclusion principles.

Person specification

Qualifications and experience

• Diploma/degree level qualifications (or relevant qualification) or equivalent level of experience.
• Good general education with high level of literacy and numeracy.
• Must be able to provide and receive complex, sensitive or contentious information.
• Experience in dealing with the patients or members of the public sensitively.
• Experience of organising information and updating electronic records.

Skills and abilities

• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to communicate complex matters and deal with difficult situations, requiring persuasion and influence.
• Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
• Understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.
• Ability to take comprehensive and concise minutes and actions of meetings.
• Up-to-date understanding of all aspects of Choice policy and the inter relationship of access and choice in the NHS.
• Experience of interpreting information, distilling key messages and themes.
• Excellent customer service skills; Team working skills; Self-motivated; Ability to move between details and the bigger picture. Demonstrates honesty and integrity and promotes organisational values.
• Personal resilience in relation to handling personal, sensitive and potentially distressing information.
• Able to prioritise own work effectively and direct activities of others.
• Experience of working with GP commissioners, clinicians and primary care teams.
• Experience of supervising or managing staff, motivating individuals and teams to deliver shared objectives.
• Experience of undertaking individual performance reviews and supporting staff personal development plans.

Knowledge

• A good understanding of the health and social care environment and roles and responsibilities within it.
• Understanding of NHS funding systems, how evidence of effectiveness is applied in policy development and how effectiveness is measured.
• Knowledge and experience of Blueteq System both IFR/Prior Approvals also Provider Portal.
• Knowledge and experience of a Content Management System, for example WordPress.

Communication and interpersonal skills

• Must be able to demonstrate a high level of verbal and written communication skills.
• Able to liaise effectively and with confidence with senior clinicians.
• Experience in communications and stakeholder management.

Analytical and problem-solving skills

• Ability to support junior members of staff.

IT and digital literacy

• Fully computer literate and proficient in Microsoft Word, electronic mail, Excel, Power Point & Access.

Project management

• Previous experience in project management and planning.

Please note the following before applying:
1. We reserve the right to amend the closing date based on the volume of applications received. Vacancies attracting a high volume of applications may therefore close earlier than advertised.
2. In compliance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, all applicants must be able to communicate fluently in English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed as part of the selection process.
3. As a Disability Confident Employer we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. As an ICB, we value diversity and are committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We welcome applications from black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.
4. If you are successful and are joining from a non-NHS background, there will be an expectation that you will be engaged from the bottom of the pay band. If you would like to review the Agenda for Change pay scales in more detail and to view other benefits of working in the NHS, please visit the Agenda for Change website for further details.
5. New employees to the ICB will be subject to a probationary period of six months (some exemptions apply, please refer to the ICBs policy for full details).
We recognise that some candidates for accessibility reasons may use software to support their application. At our Organisation, our selection process ensures we recruit candidates with the right skills and values. We monitor applications and remain alert to misuse that misrepresents abilities including the inappropriate use of AI.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Name Kathryn Markey Job title Clinical Policy Implementation Programme Lead Email address [e-mail]

Additional information

For further information please contact

Kathryn Markey [e-mail] Clinical Policy Implementation Programme Lead,

Marion Mason [e-mail] Head of Prior Approval & Assurance

or

Andrea Beckman [e-mail] IFR Service Development Lead