Accounts Payable Assistant

The NHS is the biggest employer in Europe. It’s a world-renowned institution and an exciting place to work, full of challenges and opportunities.

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) is one of the leading specialist orthopaedic hospitals in the country, with some of the highest levels of staff and patient satisfaction, as well as a strong reputation for innovation. We work together as a team of over 1,600 expert members of staff to make a difference for our patients and their families.

Our latest CQC Report was published in February 2019 and saw us rated as ‘Good’ overall and ‘Outstanding’ for care.

Who we’re looking for…

Accounts Payable Assistant to join our Accounts Payable Team

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt NHS FT are seeking to recruit an enthusiastic and motivated Finance Assistant to join our Accounts Receivable Team.

The varied and busy role will see the post holder working as part of a friendly and dedicated team, working closely with other teams within the Trust.

The successful candidate needs to be able to demonstrate good communication skills, with the ability to speak confidently and assertively with people. They must also pay close attention to detail, be adaptable, and be able to work independently as well as part of a team.

Hybrid working applies to this post so there will be a mixture of office and remote working.

The primary duties of the role will be :

• Paying authorised invoices promptly using the Oracle accounts payable system.
• Responding to and resolving queries from suppliers, colleagues, and other NHS organisations.

Assisting with cashiering and banking duties

Our aim is to aspire to deliver world class patient care, and we want talented, dedicated and passionate people to help us achieve this.

Our continued success is accomplished through the skills and expertise of our staff, which is underpinned by our values: Friendly, Caring, Excellence, Professional and Respect. If your values align to ours, and you would like to join us in aspiring to deliver world class patient care, we would love to hear from you.

Joining RJAH is more than just a job – we want our people to have the best opportunities to thrive in their role.

Whether you're starting out in your career, or have a wealth of experience – we’re always looking to recruit outstanding individuals in a range of clinical areas, as well as support and administrative roles.

We have a range of fantastic staff benefits on offer to everyone who joins RJAH and you'll have access to state-of-the-art facilities and outstanding professional development opportunities.

RJAH has strong links with a range of universities including Staffordshire, Keele, Glyndwr, Chester and Birmingham.

Shropshire is also one of the most attractive parts of the country, with a rich historic culture and excellent transport links. The hospital is located on a site outside Oswestry, just off the A5. The nearest train station is in Gobowen, approximately two miles from the hospital. The station is part of the Chester to Birmingham line.

Duties and responsibilities

Accounts Payable

• Checking all supplier invoices in accordance with approved procedures, ensuring all errors and price queries are dealt with efficiently and accurately before the invoice can be entered on to the Oracle system, and passed for payment within the Trust’s payment terms of 30 days (in line with the Better Payment Practice Code legislation).
• Reconciliation of supplier statements, to determine what is outstanding, ensuring that copies are requested for invoices not registered on the ledger system, and notifying suppliers if they have not allocated payments correctly.
• Resolving queries with staff and colleagues concerning invoices and payment, liaising with suppliers with regards to any issues, and talking through problem areas to ensure good relations with external suppliers.
• Keeping up to date with VAT regulations as they apply to the NHS (including regular training), interpreting them to ensure that VAT is reclaimed correctly against the appropriate VAT code.
• For invoices where payment has not been made within 30 days, providing an explanation for delay in payment on the monthly spreadsheet, enabling monitoring figures to be produced by the Accounts Payable Manager.
• At the year end, making sure that new year invoices are not paid prior to 31stMarch unless a contract/agreement requires it.
• Processing patients travel claims.
• Downloading reports from the Oracle ledger system using Microsoft Excel.

Cash Office

• Receipting of cash, credit cards and cheques received in the general office, via the post, over the counter and over the phone by credit card.
• Daily collection of canteen cash and monthly collection of pharmacy, vending machines and payphones cash.
• Weekly banking of all the Trust’s income to be reconciled to the cash receipting and prepared ready for the collection by Securicor.

General

• Managing own workload and time, organising and prioritising work in order of urgency and relevance, meeting month end deadlines and timetables.
• Receiving phone calls from patients, suppliers and customers who require financial information quickly and accurately.
• Maintenance of an effective working relationship with other members of the Finance Department, other Trust staff, patients and external bodies, actively responding to their needs and delivering a high level of customer satisfaction
• Liaising with internal and external auditors, dealing with their queries, and supplying information as necessary.
• Providing cover as required for other members of the team during absences.
• Providing new employees with job training and support in own area of expertise.