Job Purpose
The Chief Financial Officer and Information is accountable to the Chief Executive and the Board for financial and information strategy, management and control within the Trust, for ensuring that the Trust meets its statutory and other financial obligations and for providing financial and activity related advice to the Trust Board , Executive Team and Management Executive.
The postholder will be expected to take on additional executive portfolios to be determined.
The major challenge facing the Chief Financial Officer and Information will be to provide the leadership to ensure that appropriate finance and performance processes are in place to achieve demanding financial targets building towards long-term financial viability. Collaborative working with internal and external stakeholders across the SEL STP will be vital to achieve this.
Key Relationships
LGT board and executive team, divisional directors and divisional management teams, finance and information teams, NHSI, NHS England (London), Local CCGs, other NHS providers.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities
Specific Duties and Responsibilities
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Responsible for ensuring effective financial management and control in the Trust within an overall strategic financial framework so that the Trust achieves its statutory and other financial objectives.
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Develop and implement the Trust’s financial plans towards long term financial viability, ensuring fit with organisational and service strategies and objectives, and lead the delivery of these plans.
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Advise the Trust Board, the Chief Executive and the Executive Team on all financial matters so as to ensure that their decisions and actions support the Trust’s achievement of its financial objectives and comply with the best standards of financial stewardship and corporate governance.
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Lead the annual budget setting process, in-year financial management of these budgets, identification and management of cost pressures and cost improvement plans, and successfully resolving financial issues.
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Provide a cost-effective, high quality financial management and monitoring service to the Trust Board, Clinical and Corporate Directorates to support the delivery of contractual obligations and meet quality targets.
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Lead the contracting process for the Trust with all commissioners ensuring that good working relationships are maintained with all parties.
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Provide strategic leadership and Executive responsibility for the design and approval of the Trust’s Cost Improvement Programme ensuring that plans are robust and Senior Managers held to account for delivery.
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Ensure that all bids for external additional resources are supported by high quality information and that internal processes for prioritisation of resources are based upon high quality supporting information.
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Responsible for ensuring that the Trust meets all its financial reporting and accounting obligations including monthly financial returns, statutory annual accounts and annual reports.
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Ensure best financial practice in healthcare provision, and disseminate widely within the Trust, actively promoting opportunities for improvement.
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Manage the contract with the Trust Internal Audit Service; maintain good links with internal and external auditors provide professional support to the Audit Committee.
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Ensure and maintain appropriate controls to protect against fraud and other illegal activities.
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Ensure the best use of capital resources with appropriate prioritisation of capital spending plans.
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To be the lead Director for ensuring that the Trust appropriately manages its financial risks.
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Board level responsibility for IT and Information, discharged through line management of the Chief Information Officer.
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Board level responsibility for the shared procurement service, hosted by GSTT and including Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.
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Provide leadership to the finance department and wider procurement and IT/ information teams ensuring highest professional standards, morale and effectiveness among all staff and a culture of continuous professional development across the teams.
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To be a highly visible leader, within and externally to the Trust, demonstrating and role modelling behaviours consistent with Trust values.
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Participate in the Trust’s director on-call rota
Person Specification
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Qualified accountant.
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Evidence of continuous professional and managerial development.
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Experience of operating at Board level, ideally gained in the public sector.
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Experience of successfully leading and managing a large and diverse team.
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Proven project management skills, with evidence of delivering large scale projects.
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Demonstrable experience of leading and effectively managing change in large complex environments.
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Experience of managing challenging financial situations.
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Robust knowledge and understanding of current financial issues impacting the NHS and of NHS regulatory and governance arrangements.
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Good understanding of approaches which improve quality whilst also enabling cost improvements to be achieved.
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Evidence of ability to work collaboratively to support change across the wider healthcare setting.
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Excellent leadership skills and evidence of having built and developed high performing teams.
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Good communications with the ability to influence at all levels, internally and externally.
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Excellent analytical skills.
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Ability to work effectively as part of the executive team.
General Information
Review of this job description
This job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of the changing needs of the organisation. To be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder on a regular basis.
Confidentiality
The post holder must ensure that personal information for patients, members of staff and all other individuals is accurate, up-to-date, kept secure and confidential at all times in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998, the Caldicott principles and the common law duty of confidentiality. The post holder must follow the record keeping guidelines established by the Trust to ensure compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Data Protection Act
All staff who contributes to patients’ care records are expected to be familiar with, and adhere to, the Trust’s Standards of Records Keeping Policy. Staff should be aware that patients’ care records throughout the Trust will be subject to regular audit.
All staff who have access to patients’ care records have a responsibility to ensure that these are maintained efficiently and that confidentiality is protected in line with the Trust’s Code of Confidentiality Policy.
All staff has an obligation to ensure that care records are maintained efficiently and that confidentiality is protected. Staff are also subject to this obligation both on an implied basis and also on the basis that, on accepting their job description, they agree to maintain both patient / client and staff confidentiality.
In addition, all health professionals are advised to compile records on the assumption that they are accessible to patients in line with the Data Protection Act.
Systems and IT skills requirements
All Trust staff needs to have the essential IT skills in order to use the Trust Clinical Information System as well as other required IT related applications in their jobs. Initial and on-going IT applications and IT skills training will be provided to underpin this requirement.
Health & safety
All staff must comply with all Trust Health & Safety Policies and Procedures. Staff must be aware of the responsibilities placed on them under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), and to ensure that agreed safety procedures are carried out to maintain a safe environment for employees, patients and visitors.
Professional registration
If you are employed in an area of work which requires membership of a professional body in order to practice (e.g. Nursing & Midwifery Council for nurses), it is a condition precedent of your employment to maintain membership of such a professional body. It is also your responsibility to comply with the relevant body’s code of practice. Your manager will be able to advise you on which, if any, professional body of which you must be a member.
You are required to advise the Trust if your professional body in any way limits or changes the terms of your registration.
Failure to remain registered or to comply with the relevant code of practice may result in temporary downgrading, suspension from duty and/or disciplinary action, which may result in the termination of your employment.
If you are required to have registration with a particular professional body or to have specific qualifications you must notify your manager on appointment of such fact and provide him or her with documentary evidence of them before your employment commences or, at the latest, on your first day of employment. Furthermore throughout your employment with the Trust, you are required on demand by your manager to provide him or her with documentary evidence of your registration with any particular professional body or in respect of any required qualifications.
Risk management
All Trust employees are accountable, through the terms and conditions of their employment, professional regulations, clinical governance and statutory health and safety regulations, and are responsible for reporting incidents, being aware of the risk management strategy and emergency procedures and attendance at training as required.
All staff has a responsibility to manage risk within their sphere of responsibility. It is a statutory duty to take reasonable care of their own safety and the safety of others who may be affected by acts or omissions.
All managers throughout the organisation have a responsibility to ensure that policies and procedures are followed, that staff receives appropriate training that a local risk register is developed and monitored on a quarterly basis and any changes reported to the Patient Safety Committee and Integrated Governance Committee.
Managers are responsible for implementing and monitoring any identified risk management control measures within their designated area/s and scope of responsibility. In situations where significant risks have been identified and where local control measures are considered to be potentially inadequate, managers are responsible for bringing these risks to the attention of the Patient Safety Committee and Integrated Governance Committee if resolution has not been satisfactorily achieved.
Infection Control
All Trust staff are responsible for protecting themselves and others against infection risks. All staff regardless of whether clinical or not are expected to comply with current infection control policies and procedures and to report any problems with regard to this to their managers. All staff undertaking patient care activities must attend infection control training and updates as required by the Trust.
Financial Regulations
All staff are responsible for the security of the property of the Trust, avoiding loss or damage of property, and being economical and efficient in the use of resources. Staff should conform to the requirements of the Standing Orders, Standing Financial Instructions or other financial procedures including the Code of Conduct and Accountability and the Fraud and Corruption Policy.
Safeguarding Children
All staff must be familiar with and adhere to Trust child protection procedures and guidelines.
General
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The post holder may be required to work at any of the Trust’s sites in line with the service needs.
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The post holder must at all times carry out his/her responsibilities with due regard to the Trust’s Equal Opportunities Policy.
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This job description describes responsibilities, as they are currently required. It is anticipated duties will change over time and the job description may need to be reviewed in the future.
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All staff has a responsibility to participate in the Trust’s Performance Appraisal Scheme and to contribute to their own development and the development of any staff that they are responsible for appraising.
Valuing Diversity
It is the aim of the Trust to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, marital/partnership status, race, religion, age, creed, colour, ethnic origin, disability, part time working status and real or suspected HIV/AIDS status and is not placed at a disadvantage by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable. To this end the Trust has a Single Equality Scheme and it is for each employee to contribute to its success.
No smoking policy
There is a smoke free policy in operation in the Trust. In accordance with this policy smoking is positively discouraged and is not permitted anywhere within the buildings, on the premises or grounds.
Designated smoking areas or smoking rooms are not permitted. Support is provided for staff members who wish to stop smoking.
Waste disposal
All staff must ensure that waste produced within the Trust is segregated and disposed of in such ways that control risk to health, or safety of staff and the public alike in accordance with relevant legislation and procedures contained within the Trust policy
Role Model the Trust Values
We want to make sure that we serve local people in Lewisham, Greenwich and beyond as effectively as possible. As well as continuing to attract and support good staff, we need to make sure that the culture in the organisation – or rather “the way we do things” – is right. Our values are:
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We treat everyone with respect and compassion
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We work as a team to improve quality
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We take responsibility for our actions
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We work together for patients and colleagues
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We learn, develop and share knowledge