Costing, Contracts & Information Analyst inStafford inStafford PUBLISHED 10 OCT 2024

Supporting the Costing & Income team in the delivery of the NHSE National Cost Collection Programme (including PLICS). Development of activity and pricing models to support future contracting arrangements. Scrutinising and analysing the activity data, working closely with Business Intelligence and Information Team.

• To develop, implement and maintain Service Line Reporting and Patient Level Costing within the Trust.
• To produce the Trust's annual NHSE National Cost Collection PLICS returns.
• Work closely with the Business Intelligence and Information Team and the Data Warehousing Team to ensure that the incoming data is analysed, assessed and improved.
• Present statistical analysis and information in a format that is easily understandable to assist all Directorates within the Trust and all levels.
• Development and implementation of reporting dashboards requiring knowledge of SQL.
• To support the Contract, Costing and Income Accountant with detailed analysis and information for contractual negotiations with commissioners from a financial perspective.
• The post holder will be required to work with senior staff within the finance department. They will need to work closely with divisional staff, including senior management and clinicians.
• To lead on the development of benchmarking information within the Trust in order to inform and support the delivery of both clinical and non-clinical services.
• The post holder will be required to work with senior staff within finance department, including senior management and clinicians. They will need to communicate the development of Service Line Reporting and Patient Level Costing with all staff within the organisation.
• To work closely and effectively with the Trusts costing software supplier in the on-going development of the costing system.

About us

• Production of the mandatory annual National Cost Collection PLICS return, meeting specific deadlines to ensure that the overall exercise is completed on time and to an appropriate standard being compliant with national guidance.
• Apply the NHS Costing Standards and Guidance within the organisation including the development and application of PLICS. Interpret NHS Improvement guidance for use within creating Patient Level Costing and Service Line Reports.
• The development and production of quarterly PLICS and annual National Cost Collection for PLICS for use within the organisation.
• Working within SLR and PLICS development being guided by national policy / regulations plus the Trusts own strategy and policies, the job will demand a high level of technical competence to analyse information, followed by equally high verbal and written presentation skills, to convey complex financial information.
• Work closely with colleagues across Business Intelligence, Information and Data Warehousing to support with DQ related activity.
• To enhance the organisations understanding and use of costing, service line reporting and benchmarking information to support service delivery, efficiencies and decision making. Presenting to committees and large groups of managers and/or clinicians using relevant presentational aids.
• Working with the Contracting, Costing and Income Accountant in the development and maintenance of the Trusts Service Line Reporting system.
• To actively engage and work with operational clinicians and managers to ensure the inputs of the costing systems are robust and accepted by colleagues and to ensure accepted cost allocation methodologies are reflected in the patient level costing system.
• Present regular SLR/PLICS reports at Care Group GMT and Senior Team meetings.
• Train departmental managers and non-Finance staff in relevant Service Line Reporting techniques within designated departments on a regular basis.
• To manage the development, maintenance and integrity of the Trusts costing system. To ensure the costing model is accurate, and is regularly updated to reflect changes in service provision including the on-going refinement of costing hierarchies and allocation tables.
• To ensure that all costing processes are clearly documented.
• Support the process of agreeing annual baselines within SLAs and monthly monitoring.
• Support monthly with the verification of the SLAM and MH Contract Performance Checks.
• Support the Contract and Income Accountant with tariff development work.
• Produce an annual price list for Mental Health and Community Services.
• To assist operational services to set internal activity baselines and provide monitoring information. This will involve looking at current year outturn and adjusting activity plans with operational services to account for any anticipated changes to the service for the next financial year.
• To assist in the Trusts income planning process by the provision of relevant information and analysis.
• To lead in the Trust associate contract income planning process.
• To support the Costing, Contracts & Income Accountant by modelling the expected income to the Trust under the National Tariff payment system and Local Block arrangements, including the changes to prices due to the introduction of HRG4+ and national Planning Guidance. This involves planning over the year ahead and for future years to assess the financial impact on the Trust.
• Support in the development of the annual PAMs (price / activity matrix).
• Produce monthly activity reports to ensure income monitoring is accurate and in line with national timescales, including updating the contract monitor reports.
• Supporting the Contract, Costing & Income Accountant in developing the SLA monitoring system to accurately record activity and cost data.
• Support the Contract, Costing & Income Accountant with updating and maintaining coding and tariff information within SLAM for the purpose of supporting contractual negotiations and providing a basis for allocation of income within Service Line Reporting.
• Monitor the expenditure and activity for NHS England High Cost Drugs data (to also be used as a basis for the costing feed for Service Line Reporting and PLICS), which is reported monthly.
• To lead on the development and provision of benchmarking data and other costing information within the Trust. To support in the production of reports from analysing complex data for relevant committees as and when required, interpreting the data and identifying areas of opportunity to enhance the understanding and interpretation of the data and how the use of other external data that can be used to help support evidence based decision making.
• To support the production of the annual benchmarking work programme returns to the Benchmarking Network and NHSE as required in line with the annual programme deadlines.
• To develop benchmarking data, systems and reporting processes in readiness for the NHSE Model Health System for non-acute services.
• Assist in the Corporate Services Productivity review and provide data as is required to assist with the ongoing programme.
• Investigation of Outlier Benchmarking data and National Cost Collection PLICS to inform service change and the organisations productivity improvement programme.
• The assist in the production of regular benchmarking information to the Trust Board, the Integrated Business & Performance Committee and Operational Forums.