Practice Finance Manager

Job summary

24 hours over 3 or 4 days, Flexible

(Shortlisted candidatesare encouraged to arrange an informal meeting with the existing Financial Managerand Practice Director)

This role willparticularly suit an experienced practice finance manager or practice manager withproven specialist interest in practice finances. This will also be suitable forfinance professionals from other NHS and non-NHS background with considerablefinancial and business experience in complex organisations and transferableskills.

The Practice FinanceManager is responsible for ensuring the practice is a sustainable and thrivingbusiness, by overseeing all business transactions, accessing all relevantclaims and funds, and seeking additional earning and funding opportunities. Thefinance manager will work in conjunction with the Practice Director to developthe practice through effective business and financial management, continueddevelopment of income streams, the implementation of effective servicescontracts and responding to opportunities with business cases and proposals.

Working with the PracticeDirector, the Finance Manager will ensure the efficiency, effectiveness, andsustainability of the practice and will act as a role model to demonstratepartnership values and professional behaviour.

About us

We are a friendly,supportive, and innovative training Practice in inner city Lancaster, QueenSquare Medical Practice is based over 4 sites with 3 sites at the main campusin Lancaster and a branch site in Caton. (a village 5 miles north-east ofLancaster centre) This post will be based at the main campus site. We have apatient list size of approximately 16,000 delivering high quality care to ourdiverse group of patients. We are actively involved in our Primary CareNetwork.

We have a dedicatedteam of 8 GP Partners, 6 Associate GP, ANP, ACP, Clinical Pharmacists, PharmacyTechnician, Practice Nurses, Nurse Associate, HCAs, Patient Care Advisors, Receptionistsand Administration teams.

Join us and try something new

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main duties of the job

Please see attached document for full job description

The Finance Manager isaccountable to the Practice Director for managing accounts transactions of thepractice on a day-to-day basis, ensuring services are maintained for patientsat all practice sites through estate management, effective business systems,accurate reporting, business and financial information and supplier contract management.

The Finance Managerwill deliver against contracts and agreements for care and ensure all servicesrendered are claimed for.

At a time ofconsiderable change and challenge for Primary Care the Finance Manager willhave a particular responsibility in ensuring the continued development of the Practicethrough a thorough understanding of the funding regime for Primary Care, fullyaccessing income streams and identifying new opportunities for theorganisation.

Job responsibilities

Partnership Finance:

Manage practiceaccounts and seek to maximise income (QuickBooks)

Prepare accounts foraccountants and ensure end of quarter and end of year returns are completed forpensions, tax and all financial systems

Ensure effectivebudgeting and reporting to ensure up to date accounts available to supportfinancial health of partnership

Ensure payroll is runeffectively (Iris Payroll)

Maintain pensionsrecords of all employed staff including GP Partners

Manage financialaspects of employment for all staff and locum staff

Through negotiationwith the commissioning authority (ICB) and NHS England ensure the practicereceives an appropriate and equitable allocation of resources

Understand and reporton the financial implications of contract and legislation changes

Prepare invoices andcollect money promptly

Make payments promptlyand record correctly

Ensure that expensesare reasonable and best value for money

Manage practiceaccounts; submit year-end and monthly figures promptly and liaise with thePractice Director

Monitor cash-flow

Oversee the managementand reconciliation of bank accounts; negotiate and liaise with the practicebankers

Ensure accuratebudgeting and accountancy systems are maintained

Run payments systemsfor creditors and debtor management

Ensure all financialprocesses are transparent and open for inspection

Monitor and reconcile incomeand expenditure statements and purchase/sales ledger transactions

Manage appropriatesystems for handling and recording of cash and cheques and petty cash.

Report to the partnerson financial and operational performance KPIs

Liaise with practiceaccountants/PCN business leads on financial affairs of the PCN.

Partnership Business performance:

In conjunction with thePractice Director, act as lead for all estates management (four sites)including negotiating with property services and ensuring best value for money.In addition, the practice owns other properties with private interests, whichsupports our core business.

Carry out regularreviews and benchmarking of business aspects of the practice to identify areasof innovation, improvement, and development

Ensure the practice isdelivering services in accordance with national and local regulation of primarycare so that the practice can demonstrate achievement of relevant standards ofcare

Business governance -ensure the business is run in accordance with all guidelines and legislation health and safety, tax, finance etc.

Manage financial riskby carrying out risk assessments where necessary and maintaining risk registerswith Practice Director

Support BusinessContinuity Planning

Attend local andregional meetings as agreed with Practice Director to ensure effectiveunderstanding of existing and new opportunities and challenges

Work in conjunctionwith IT Lead and IT suppliers to ensure effective use of all IT and telephonysystems through configuration, reporting on usage.

Identify and report topartners regularly on key performance indicators.

Where appropriate uselocal and national systems to benchmark the business aspects of the practice.

Ensure the business isappropriately insured for all relevant aspects, seeking quotes and comparisonsas necessary.

Manage contracts forkey services to ensure best service and value for money and maintain productiverelationships with key service providers

Working with Practice Director,attend, contribute to and feedback to partners on relevant locality and areameetings to support Primary Care Network and identify opportunities andthreats.

Partnership income streams and IT:

Ensure that service-relatedincome is maximised, including via clinical system (EMIS) searches and analysisof data. This includes income through the PCN, from QOF targets, flu targets,IIF, DES and LES and any other services

Analyse and presentdata to assist nursing and other teams in the efficient direction of resourcesto maximise patient wellbeing

Maintain registrationpolicies and monitor patient turnover and capitation to ensure that financialgoals are met

Routinely monitor andassess practice performance against patient access and demand managementtargets

In conjunction with theIT Lead, evaluate and plan practice IT implementation and modernisation with thelatest development in primary care IT and ensure that the practice has thenecessary IT equipment and efficient telephone systems and ensure that thepractice has effective IT data security, back-up, maintenance and disasterrecovery plans in place

Liaise with the ICBregarding systems procurement, IT funding and national IT developmentprogrammes.

Leadership and Change management:

Demonstrate leadershipand change management and support the capacity for both within teams. Supportthe Practice Director in developing and implementing processes to support staffmorale, to achieve good levels of staff development and retention

Work with practice Directorand partners to develop new models of care and staffing structures to improveservice and financial efficiencies

Present ideas andsupport others to develop areas for opportunity and effective functioning ofthe business

Support Practice Directorto set agendas and make proposals to meetings; record appropriately forprofessional and business governance and follow up actions.

Keep abreast of currentaffairs and identify potential opportunities and threats.

Contribute to practicestrategy; formulate objectives and research and develop ideas for futurepractice development

Develop and maintaineffective communication both within the practice and with relevant outsideagencies

Personal development:

To be aware ofnational, local and practice quality standards for all aspects of generalpractice

Having an excellentworking knowledge of and closely monitoring performance and quality targetsincluding but not limited to QOF, PMS, key performance indicators and otherlocally agreed schemes and incentives

To take responsibilityfor own developmental learning and performance

To participate in thepractice appraisal scheme

To attend educationaland other meetings as required

To undertake trainingas required including mandatory and statutory training, core skills trainingand ongoing developmental training

To recognise andunderstand the roles and responsibilities of the whole primary health care team

To strive to maintainquality within the practice and to alert other team members and line manager toissues of quality and risk.

To assess ownperformance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or undersupervision

To effectively manageown time, workload, and resources.

This listis not exhaustive and post holder is expected to be flexible according to thepartnership needs agreed by the GP partners.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Excellent standard of education with excellent literacy and numeracy skills ACCA/ACA/CIMA Accounting Qualification Experience of managing accounts Experience of successfully developing and implementing projects Ability to exploit and negotiate opportunities to enhance service delivery Excellent communication skills (written, oral and presenting) Strong IT skills (Microsoft Office) Excellent leadership skills Strategic thinker and negotiator Ability to prioritise, delegate and work to tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment Effective time management (planning & organising) Ability to network and build relationships Proven problem-solving & analytical skills Ability to develop, implement and embed policy and procedure Ability to motivate and train staff Polite and confident Flexible and cooperative Excellent interpersonal skills Motivated and proactive Ability to use initiative and judgement Forward thinker with a solutions-focused approach High levels of integrity and loyalty Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations Ability to work under pressure Confident, assertive and resilient Ability to drive and deliver change effectively Ability to motivate teams, enhance morale and maintain a positive working environment, including team-building sessions Flexibility to work outside core office hours Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check Maintains confidentiality at all times Full UK driving licence

Desirable

Educated to degree level in healthcare or business Experience of working with the general public Experience of working in a healthcare setting Experience of managing large multidisciplinary teams Experience of performance management, including appraisal writing, staff development and disciplinary procedures Experience of workforce planning, forecasting and development NHS / primary care general practice experience Relevant health and safety experience Experience of chairing meetings, producing agendas and minutes QuickBooks and Iris (Payroll) expertise and skills

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