Job Description

This is a varied and interesting post within the Service Agreement team, which is an embedded Business Intelligence function within the Finance Department based in Cheltenham.



The Deputy Manager in the Service Agreement team supports the Service Agreements Manager in leading the team to provide accurate, concise and clear income and activity related information to support the Trust and its component Divisions in its business. The post holder provides support to all the Commissioners of the Trust's services in terms of the development and application of contract definitions and reporting.



As part of the team's agile working policy, the successful candidate will work a minimum of two days in the office.

The proposed interview date is:

30th July



The post holder will have line management responsibility for a team that provides detailed reports within Finance to support accurate and timely reporting of the Trust's overall financial position. The Service Agreements team acts as an embedded business intelligence function within the Finance Department and is therefore mainly composed of staff with a business intelligence analytical background. The post holder is the technical expert on SLAM datasets and has a key role in implementing departmental commissioner income monitoring projects and reporting functions. The flow of income into the Trust is directly dependent on the reports generated by the Service Agreement team.



The Service Agreement Team is responsible for providing analytical support for the Trust's external reporting processes. Most importantly, this covers reporting on activity and income to commissioners in order to ensure that the Trust receives appropriate funding; it also includes the provision of performance monitoring reports to external agencies including Integrated Commissioning Boards (ICBs), NHS England both Specialised and Direct Commissioning functions, Welsh Local Health Boards (LHBs), and the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC). The team also provides expert advice to senior clinical and managerial colleagues within and outside the Trust on contracting and performance monitoring issues.



Knowledge, Skills and Experience required



The post holder will need to demonstrate.



i. Graduate education or equivalent experience.



ii. Further educational achievement in an information related field, either acquired by in depth experience or postgraduate study to diploma level.



iii. Extensive experience of working in information analysis and substantial NHS experience.



iv. Expert technical SQL programming skills and advice to ensure the accurate extraction and compilation of contract monitoring reports for commissioners and to be a source of expertise on reporting currencies such as HRGs. A very high level of SQL knowledge is required as well as manipulation of complex data sets in spreadsheets using skills at an advanced level of expertise.



v. Experience of loading and reporting of NHS datasets using Civica SLAM is desirable.



vi. Excellent understanding of NHS funding guidance such as the NHS Payment Scheme and historically Payment by Results. Skill and ability to manage the information aspects of NHS funding programmes to ensure that Trust data is fit for purpose and in line with national guidelines. To understand changes to the system and to act as Trust expert on the rules and technical data requirements.



vii. Expert technical specialist knowledge of information systems, including in depth knowledge of NHS data definitions, clinical terminology and coding systems. This includes a thorough understanding of the current issues facing the NHS and the role of Finance and Business Intelligence functions in this context.



viii. Expert level of skill in information analysis and synthesis, including the ability to analyse highly complex and sensitive information and the ability to interpret and draw conclusions from it, and synthesise new knowledge from the findings. The data may be conflicting and contentious to those receiving it.



ix. High level of negotiation and influencing skills. The post holder will, for time to time, represent the Income & Costing Team at Commissioning meetings and will have a role in negotiating the Trust commissioner contracts and income.



x. Ability to manage and prioritise own workload to achieve Trust priorities and objectives in an effective and efficient manner, with minimum supervision.



xi. Ability to identify problems and inconsistencies with complex data and produce workable solutions.



xii. Ability to make decisions and show initiative in the formulation of recommendations and subsequent actions.



xiii. Ability to prepare and present verbal and high-quality written reports to Trust and Divisional Boards as well as other equivalent meetings and to recommend actions arising from the information analysis. The ability to explain complex data and information issues to non-Business Intelligence / Finance staff, field questions and offer advice to assist in sound decision making.



xiv. Ability to work under pressure, dealing with changing and frequently competing priorities to tight deadlines.



xv. In the absence of the Service Agreement Manager, to act as their deputy by providing leadership to other staff in the team.



xvi. Ability to concentrate for prolonged periods on complex data, despite interruptions.



xvii. Good people management skills, with the ability not only to manage and prioritise their own workload to achieve Trust priorities in an effective and efficient manner but also to be able to manage other staff and their workload in times of high pressure and change.

xviii. Excellent communication skills to facilitate:

a. working in partnership with other teams and with external organisations,

b. the management and development of other members with in the Service Agreements Team,

c. Sharing of knowledge with other Finance and Business Intelligence unit team members, and training of more junior members of the team.



xix. Commitment to continued professional and personal development.



6. Communication and Work Relationships



i. Associate Director of Income & Contracting, Deputy Heads of BI, BI Manager, Data Team Manager, Service Level Agreement Team Manager, Clinical Coding Manager, BI Data Quality Manager and their teams.



ii. Finance & Performance Managers and their staff.



iii. Divisional Triumvirates and associated General Managers.



iv. Clinical Directors, consultants, and other medical grades.



v. Trust Divisional Directors, General Managers and other staff.



vi. Senior Nurses, Allied Health Professionals and their staff.



vii. Clinical Audit staff.



viii. Finance, Business Intelligence and commissioning staff at our key Commissioners.



ix. Internal and external financial auditors.



7. Key Result Areas



i. Responsible for the development, preparation and maintenance of high quality and timely information reports to support the Trust and Divisions in financial and performance management, clinical and operational processes. This will involve ensuring a high level of analysis, interpretation, synthesis and presentation of information reports that factor in income to ensure Managers are advised of any potential problem areas. The information should be presented in a clear and concise manner and where appropriate recommend solutions.



ii. To provide expert support to the Director of Finance, Associate Director of Income & Contracting and Service Agreement Manager to ensure that the Trust completes all submissions required by NHS funding programmes in line with guidance and definitions, on time and such as to optimise the Trust's contract income.



iii. To provide the technical lead for the introducing and maintaining revisions to HRG standards and the technical work to understand the implications that this will have for the Trust.



iv. To provide relevant data required to support the Trust's regular performance monitoring returns to NHSE/I



v. To identify the source of the relevant data and to advise on its quality and availability and to offer workable solutions or work-rounds where necessary. Ensuring that data quality issues are brought to the attention of relevant managers Finance and Business Intelligence staff.



vi. To lead, together with the Section Manager, the team staff to ensure they are well motivated, work effectively and achieve their personal and team objectives. This includes line management HR functions, recruitment functions and ensuring staff are developed and appraised each year.



vii. Provision of information reports to support contracting discussions and negotiations. This will include a proactive role in developing commissioner contract proposals.



viii. With the Service Agreement Manager, have a lead role in the development of Service Agreement proposals, representing the Trust at meetings as appropriate and, explaining complex and sensitive information to senior clinical and non-clinical staff in situations where the information may be contentious and open to different interpretations.



ix. Responsible for the development, preparation, validation and submission of high-quality information reports to non-negotiable deadlines which reflect contracting, performance and operational issues and identify where action may be required.



x. To provide information from Trust systems and to provide data to support commissioner income reporting.



xi. Provision of information reports to support business cases for the development of clinical services to improve patient care on a regular basis.



xii. Provision of information for auditing purposes.



xiii. Implement policy changes and national guidelines in own work area and ensure changes for other areas across the Trust are applied where appropriate.



xiv. Identify and highlight any areas of concern with regard to data quality and accuracy and undertake appropriate action as required, particularly with respect to the accuracy of commissioning data sets supplied via the Secondary User Service (SUS) to commissioners.



8. Most challenging part of the role



Having sufficiently highly developed specialist knowledge to understand the Trust business and information systems and being able to balance the demands of the post with the resource available to deliver the required outcomes.



9. Physical Effort and Working Conditions



The post holder will be party to extremely sensitive information pertaining to patient conditions. Some of this information will be of a distressing nature. The post holder can expect their information to be challenged by other members of staff in large group settings. The post holder will spend long periods of time sitting at a desk using a computer in an open plan office. The post holder will be required to maintain a very high level of concentration for long periods throughout the day; however the post holder should be able to shift focus quickly in response to frequent urgent incoming requests. * The post holder will be required to work at sites across the county.