Costing Lead

The post is a one year fixed term post to cover maternity leave. The role provides an exciting opportunity to work in an integrated trust covering acute, community and mental health costing. You will be responsible for leading the Trust's costing function and supporting an established team. This is a senior role supported and recognised by the Trusts senior management as being vital in meeting the Trust's strategic aims. As the costing lead you will support and enable operational teams to make the best use of costing information.

You will be responsible for maintaining and developing the Trusts patient level costing (PLICS)/service line reporting (SLR) model and completing the national cost collection (NCC). A new costing model (IQVIA) has recently been implemented and the role provides the opportunity to develop the model and embed within the organisation. You will be joining a team with good working relationships with the clinical divisions and information department.

Main duties of the job

1. The post holder will lead on maintaining and developing the Trust's patient level costing (PLICS) model.
2. The post holder will lead on reporting and development of Service Line reporting (SLR).
3. The post holder will be responsible for completing and submitting the Trust's national cost collection (NCC).

Job responsibilities

1. Responsible for the delivery of a robust costing system that can be used to support clinical divisions and the finance team to identify efficiencies and ensure value for money is being provided to the NHS.
2. Responsible for the completion and submission of the Trusts annual national cost collection (NCC) by planning the timetable required for data collection and cost allocations to ensure the submission is made appropriately and in line with national and Trust guidance and timescales. Ensuring all data providers are aware of the timetable and format of the information required.
3. To be the Trust expert in NHS costing and to continually review published national guidance to ensure the costing principles are being adhered to and that the costing system is updated for any changes to the guidance. Updating procedure notes where necessary.
4. Continually review the quality of data provided/downloaded to the costing system, working closely with finance colleagues and information department to constantly improve and enhance the data. Undertaking audits as necessary to both the inputs and outputs of data. Ensuring the data that is provided is in line with current NHS guidance and where necessary making recommendations for improved data capture.
5. To work with key operational and clinical staff to continuously improve the Trusts Patient Level Costing (PLICS) system, for example to oversee the routine review of allocations and estimations that are used.
6. To promote the patient level costing system and its outputs to the organisation, including formal presentation of data when required to large groups of managers and/or clinicians, using relevant presentational aids.
7. To prepare complex SLR reports to Trust senior executives and the Trust Board regarding the viability of clinical services to inform strategic executive decisions.
8. To work with Directors and Managers to provide innovative, comprehensive reports as required (often on an adhoc basis). This may require attending meetings and presenting this information this may involve presenting complex, sensitive and contentious information to groups of managers and/or clinicians with recommendations for service changes. Skills will be required to negotiate and persuade managers where there are likely to be barriers to their understanding.
9. Liaise with colleagues in other organisations and using benchmarking tools to improve the accuracy and consistency of costing data and the understanding of methodologies and processes and to implement best practice.
10. Review and analyse new guidance relating to NCC, Service Line Reporting and other regimes to assess the impact on the Trust, producing timetables for submissions in agreement with other parties involved. Report this information in required format to Directors and the Board.
11. Analyse and benchmark published data for the Trust against other similar organisations to gauge value for money and robustness of information. Use findings to update future processes and to inform best practice.
12. Work closely with managers and Directors to provide complex financial input into business cases, tenders and contracts, making financial judgements as necessary to meet service delivery requirements, and to assist in bids for service developments and improvements (both capital and revenue).
13. Day to day management of the costing accountant.
14. Responsible for ongoing development of the PLICS system including any required upgrades or developments.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• CCAB Qualified
• Educated to Degree level in relevant subjects or qualified by equivalent experience
• Evidence of recent and ongoing professional development

Experience

Essential

• Understanding of resource management for service delivery within hospital and community settings
• Presenting financial information in operational forums
• Awareness of the public health sector's regulatory and funding framework
• Thorough understanding of the relationships between clinical activity, income and expenditure.

Skills

Essential

• Strong communication and engagement skills. Positive attitude and highly self-motivated and can motivate others
• Ability to plan own workload to ensure all priorities are completed ahead of deadline.

Employer details

Employer name

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address

Highgate Wing
Level 2, Dartmouth Park Hill
London
N19 5JG

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