Accounts Receivable and Treasury Query Officer

Job overview

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust are moving their Financial Services to be provided by NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) under a Finance and Accounting Service.

This is an exciting time as we move to a new finance system and look to recruit a team of people who will work across both Trusts to liaise with SBS and help resolve queries within the Trusts.

Posts are advertised as full time, however we offer flexible working options and we welcome applications from people who are looking for part time or job share.  All positions will be on a hybrid basis with approximately 40% of your working hours being office based.

Main duties of the job

The Accounts Receivable and Treasury (AR&T) functions of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trusts (the Trusts) are contracted out to NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS).

This post works as part of the invoice query team who are responsible for resolving queries referred to the Trusts from NHS SBS as well as coding and allocating income that has not been able to be allocated by NHS SBS.

This post also supported with activity that is subsidiary to the AR&T functions including preparing debt for legal action or write off.

The post also assists in maintaining the authorised signatory lists for the Trusts and keeping finance system users up to date in line with this and other user requests.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Act as a partner contact between NHS SBS and trust organisations.  Be responsible for ensuring that queries relating to invoices issued are resolved either by the invoice requester or within the finance team and the wider Trusts.
• Co-ordinate across the finance departments the allocation of cash where SBS where they have been unable to identify where this should be coded.  This may involve contacting colleagues as well as external organisations and liaising managers throughout the wider Trusts.
• Responsible for liaising with Private Patients and Trusts Contract Income Teams to ensure queries are resolved in a timely manner to assist with prompt payment.
• Take responsibility for attending the regular AR “debt call” meetings with nominated NHS SBS team members and be responsible for ensuring that Trust actions are followed up with the appropriate managers throughout the Trusts.
• Work with NHS SBS to review debt collection and take a lead in advising managers throughout the Trust what actions they can take to assist in enabling SBS to collect the cash on behalf of the Trusts.
• With SBS review Bad Debts and formulate actions plans for NHS SBS and Trusts to follow regarding specific debtors.
• Train, support and supervise staff within the Trusts to raise invoice requests within the finance system, offering expert guidance and understanding of the various aspects of the request including financial coding and VAT.
• Process overseas tax claims relating to invoices issued.
• Be responsible for the compilation of debts for write off when debt collection options have been exhausted and seek approval for write offs in line with Trust policy.
• Take responsibility for the set up customer accounts within the system to enable users in the Trusts to raise invoice requests within the system.
• Be responsible for checking the validity of urgent payments and processing these through to NHS SBS for same day payment.  Identifying trends where urgent payments are regularly requested from the same source and taking action with the requesters to change practice to stop these occurrences in the future.
• Be responsible for the maintenance of the Trusts Authorised signatory list, receiving requests, checking that they are in line with Standing Financial Instructions and processing the request on the register and finance system.
• Process approved Trust Losses and Compensations payments through to NHSSBS
• Provide timely and accurate information to support monthly reporting of the Trusts financial positions.
• Be responsible for the reconciliation of a number of control codes on a monthly basis ensuring their accuracy for inclusion on the Trusts balance sheets.
• Support Treasury and Receivables Manager in preparing necessary information for inclusion within the Trusts Statutory Annual Accounts.
• Liaise with External & Internal Auditors & Vat Advisors as requested by the Treasury & Receivables Manager.
• Receive requests for new users to be issued with a user ID for the ledger system; to ensure these are appropriately completed and authorised.  To ensure the user IDs for leavers are inactivated promptly.
• To assist with the NHS Agreement of balances process, in accordance with the  timescales laid down in the NHS Manual for Accounts and to report the results to the line manager.  To make provision for reconciling items in the agreement process to ensure the accuracy of NHS debtors and income reported in the Trust’s accounts.
• To maintain the security profiles for the ledgers; these should ensure that users are only able to access the modules and transactions they are entitled to, and that internal control are maintained.
• To reset system passwords when self service methods have failed.
• The postholder will be responsible for collating and providing all information on overseas visitors and private patients required for Freedom of Information requests.
• The postholder will be responsible for collating and providing all information on overseas visitors for regular reporting to the Department of Health.
• Performing such duties as maybe directed from time to time by the line manager (or other senior finance managers), with the ability to work to achieve agreed objectives