Finance Assistant - Financial Control

The role will be varied and will adapt over time as the ICB develops. Reporting to the Finance Officer, the post holder is expected to fulfil the following key functions:

Undertake accounts receivable activities including clearing receipts and unallocated cash, reviewing aged debt and carrying out routine credit control by telephone and email.

Investigate and resolve invoice queries in a professional and efficient manner.

Receive, validate and process manual payments.

Set up and maintain customer and supplier accounts on relevant finance systems.

Maintain clear and accurate notes in the financial ledger to reflect the status of invoices, queries, approvals and follow-up actions.

Support financial processes by ensuring transactions, invoices, claims and supporting records are processed within agreed timetables.

Chase providers and internal teams regularly for outstanding information, or evidence required to resolve invoice queries and support timely payment.

Undertake routine statement reconciliations, promptly investigating discrepancies.

Use spreadsheets, system reports and basic analysis to support invoice validation, payment processing, reconciliation and management information requests.

Support development and continuous improvement of local finance procedures and contribute to maintaining robust audit trails and information governance standards.

Financial and technical Support

Process invoices, payment schedules and supporting documentation accurately and in a timely manner through the financial ledger and associated systems, in line with agreed procedures.

Apply correct financial coding, including general ledger codes, cost centres and other required coding structures, escalating uncertainties to senior finance colleagues where appropriate.

Manage own workload within finance systems, ensuring invoices are progressed through workflow stages and notes are maintained to evidence actions taken.

Resolve routine invoice, supplier, provider and scheduled payment queries, referring complex or unresolved issues to senior colleagues as required.

Support month-end and year-end financial timetables by ensuring invoices, claims, receipts and supporting documentation are processed accurately and within agreed deadlines.

Process manual payments, including patient claims and medical fees, checking claim forms and supporting evidence for completeness and accuracy, recording the outcome and progressing authorised payments within agreed timescales.

Undertake routine credit control, including reviewing aged debt, contacting debtors by telephone and email, recording recovery action, escalating disputed or overdue balances and supporting the production of debtor information.

Support the allocation of receipts and timely clearance of unallocated cash, investigating discrepancies and liaising with providers, customers and finance colleagues as required.

Set up new provider customer and supplier accounts, and amend existing account details, on relevant finance systems in accordance with documented validation, authorisation and segregation-of-duties procedures.

Assist with reconciliation exercises and the investigation of variances, discrepancies and outstanding balances.

Provide routine finance support to Finance Managers and other senior colleagues as requested.

Accurately input, update and maintain financial information within the finance systems.

Ensure invoices, approvals, query notes, credit notes and supporting documentation are correctly recorded and retained against financial records.

Identify discrepancies between invoices and supporting schedules, notifying the appropriate team for correction in line with defined processes.

Maintain clear audit trails to support reconciliation, routine query resolution, internal review and external audit requirements.

Handle confidential, personal and financial information in accordance with information governance, data protection and Caldicott requirements.

Use spreadsheets and system reports to support the processing and validation of invoices and payments.

Support routine monitoring checks to confirm invoice and payment data is complete and accurate.

Provide basic financial information to assist with routine query resolution and payment processing.

Organise and prioritise own workload to meet agreed deadlines and service standards.

Respond to routine email and telephone queries from providers and internal teams regarding invoice and payment status.

Chase outstanding information required to resolve invoice queries, following agreed processes.

Work collaboratively with placebased teams, clinical staff and commissioners to support timely resolution of issues.

Our role as an ICB is to join up health and care services, improve people's health and wellbeing, and make sure everyone has the same access to services and gets the same outcomes from treatment.

We also oversee how money is spent and make sure health services are working well and are of high quality.

Involving our communities is really important to us. We are committed to putting the needs of people living in Lancashire and South Cumbria at the heart of all we do.We are also proud to be part of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership.

The post holder may have regular contact with a wide range of staff at all levels within the ICB, with senior and other representatives of local stakeholders, as well as with patients and their representatives. Some of the key direct relationships include:

Clinical Staff

Administrative staff

Managers and staff across Lancashire and South Cumbria, NHS, local authorities and other third sector organisations

Internal and external auditors

Qualifications

Essential: - A minimum of five GCSEs or equivalent at grade C / 4 or above, including English and Mathematics.

Desirable: - AAT Foundation Certificate / Level 2 or equivalent experience gained in a finance, accounts payable or financial administration environment.

Experience

Knowledge and Skills

Desirable: - Understanding of NHS administrative processes or governance frameworks.; - Knowledge of record keeping standards, confidentiality and data protection.

Personal Attributes

Other

Essential: - Ability to travel across the system as required.; - Ability to work flexibly to meet organisational priorities.