Job description

Job responsibilities

It is the duty of each team member to assist in the smooth running of the Practice; however, this role focusses specifically on reception and administrative duties. It is also the responsibility of each employee to make sure that whoever comes into contact with the practice, either in person or via the telephone, receives the highest standard of respect, courtesy, fairness and professionalism.

Currently, the surgery is open from 08:00 18:30 hours on a Monday to Thursday, and Friday 08.00 20.00. Candidates will be expected to be flexible in their working hours.

The post holder will not be expected to work more than their contracted hours per week.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• GCSE grade A to C in English and Maths

Desirable

• Qualified to NVQ level 2 in Health and Social Care

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Northdown & Dashwood Surgery

Address

Dashwood Medical Centre

Grange Road

Ramsgate

Kent

CT11 9PR

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://northdownsurgery.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Finance Lead reports to the Head of Practice and is part of the leadership team. The role delivers the Finance pillar of the practice strategy: the Finance Lead produces accurate numbers and reports, and the Head of Practice uses them to judge whether cost containment and income plans are working, and to bring decisions to the Partners.

Decides: processing approved invoices, payments and payroll; coding transactions; querying suppliers and income bodies; requesting approval before payment.

Recommends to the Head of Practice: changes to financial procedures; variances that need action; payments outside the approved budget or limits; cash flow risks.

Keep the accounts in Xero accurate and up to date, with every transaction coded correctly and the bank reconciled at least weekly.

Process purchase orders, invoices, payments and expense claims promptly, checking each has proper approval.

Keep financial records organised and retained in line with legal requirements.

Design and build a chart of accounts in Xero, agreed with the Head of Practice and the accountants.

Code every transaction by site (Northdown, Dashwood or practice-wide) and by cost centre, such as reception, nursing, GPs, premises, IT and each income stream, so the practice can drill down into any cost.

Manage Xero end to end: bank feeds and rules, approvals, budgets, reporting templates, user access and connected apps.

Keep coding clean, so reports can be trusted without adjustment, and train leads to read their own reports.

Map historical transactions into the new chart of accounts for [the previous X years], so past and present can be compared like for like.

Stage 1 the full picture. Compare income received with income due for every stream, including the global sum, QOF, enhanced services, local schemes, PCN payments, premises, locum and drug reimbursements, and pension deductions. Record every gap, however old.

Stage 2 the decision. For each gap, set out the amount, the time limit for claiming, the evidence and the effort to recover it, so the Head of Practice and Partners can decide what to pursue.

Pursue agreed recoveries with the QOF, Quality & Population Health Lead and the accountants, report progress until each is closed, and fix the cause of every gap so the same income is not lost again.

Run monthly payroll accurately and on time, using HR's notifications of every starter, leaver and change, including PAYE, National Insurance and other deductions.

Manage NHS Pension Scheme administration for staff, salaried GPs and Partners through PCSE: contribution rates, joiners, leavers, changes and locum forms.

Reconcile pension contributions deducted from NHS payments with what is due, and correct errors.

Prepare Partners' and salaried GPs' year-end pension certificates with the accountants, so they match the final accounts.

Keep payroll and pension records ready for year end and audit, and answer staff payroll and pension queries.

Reconcile the monthly GP payment statement line by line to Xero, covering every payment and deduction, and query anything missing or wrong.

Each month, receive the QOF, Quality & Population Health Lead's claims schedule, check it against approved claims using view access to CQRS, and report back every missing, short or unexpected payment through a shared income tracker.

Reconcile drug and vaccine reimbursements, matching stock bought, items given, claims and payments.

Reconcile PCN income, private fees (weekly, with the Operations Managers) and petty cash (monthly).

Run credit control, pay suppliers on agreed terms, and review aged debtors and creditors monthly.

All reports come from Xero and can be broken down by site and cost centre.

Weekly Finance report: cash, income and claims outstanding, headline spend, private fees and petty cash.

Monthly Management accounts: profit and loss, balance sheet, and budget against actual, with commentary on variances.

Monthly Site and cost centre: where money is earned and spent across Northdown, Dashwood and practice-wide costs.

Monthly Staffing costs: pay costs by site, team and role, including overtime, locums and agency, against the workforce plan.

Monthly Operating costs: premises, utilities, consumables, equipment, IT and contracts, for each site.

Monthly Income by stream: each income stream against what is expected.

Monthly Debtors and creditors: what the practice is owed and owes, and how old each item is.

Monthly Cash flow: rolling forecast, with early warning of pressure.

Quarterly Reforecast: full-year forecast against budget and the Partners' targets.

Quarterly Benchmarking: income and costs against comparable practices, with commentary on opportunities.

Yearly Budget: next year's budget by site and cost centre, for the Partners to approve.

Produce the monthly reports within an agreed number of days of month end.

Compare the practice each quarter with similar practices, using NHS practice payment data, the accountants' benchmarking and PCN and ICB comparisons.

Benchmark income per patient and by stream, staff cost per patient and as a share of income, and operating costs per patient and per site.

Show which services make money, where costs are higher than comparable practices and why, and which income streams can grow.

Prepare the figures for decision papers, so every proposal shows its financial effect.

Keep the contract register, with values and review and renewal dates, and alert the Head of Practice before each date.

Own the payroll, purchasing, petty cash and anti-fraud procedures, and apply the Standing Financial Instructions on every payment.

Make sure a trained deputy can run payroll and payments, with clear separation of duties.

Prepare complete, reconciled records for the accountants, and support them with Partners' tax and pension information.

Bring financial evidence to the leadership team: where costs are rising, where income is at risk and where savings could be made.

Help leads understand their own budgets, and make finance processes simpler and more automated.

The weekly finance report is the one-page red, amber and green summary listed under reports above, adding payroll issues and upcoming contract dates.

Supports Well-led. Evidence includes management accounts, reconciliations, the contract register and procedure records.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• AAT Level 3, or equivalent bookkeeping experience
• Expert, hands-on Xero user, including chart of accounts design, tracking categories, budgets and custom reporting
• Experience running a full set of books, including bank reconciliation, supplier payments and credit control
• Experience running payroll, including PAYE
• Working knowledge of NHS Pension Scheme employer administration in general practice
• Experience producing management accounts, cost centre and budget reports that non-accountants can understand, with clear commentary on what the numbers mean
• Willingness to learn general practice finance quickly
• Accurate, organised, discreet and trustworthy
• Integrity, and a calm approach to deadlines

Desirable

• AAT Level 4 or above
• Xero Advisor certification
• Experience migrating or restructuring a chart of accounts, including historical data
• Experience preparing Partners year-end pension certificates
• Cash flow forecasting and reforecasting
• Experience benchmarking GP practice finances
• Knowledge of GP income streams and the partnership model
• Knowledge of CQRS and how approved claims flow through to payment
• Experience reconciling GP payment statements and drug reimbursements
• Experience of income recovery reviews

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Northdown & Dashwood Surgery

Address

Northdown Surgery

Northdown Park Road

Margate

Kent

CT9 2TR

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://northdownsurgery.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)