Financial management

Without strong financial management, the NHS wouldn't be able to provide medical treatment and
clinical care. Managing the finances of a health organisation, whether it is a hospital, ambulance
service trust, mental health trust or clinical commissioning group, is like running the finances of a
large company.
The area of financial management will incorporate managing budgets and deciding on resource
allocation. It will include:

payroll and pensions - ensuring staff get paid

accounts - paying for goods and services, collecting income
financial systems - the Information Technology (IT) systems that track all financial activity
management information - gathering and interpreting the financial data required to make day-today and strategic management decisions
reporting - preparing annual financial reports and co-ordinating with the Inland Revenue, VAT
collection and other authorities
financial audit - checking expenditure and income.
There is a variety of job roles and job titles in this area of management. Below are some examples of
job roles in this area.
Management accountant - this type of post would involve working closely with the head of finance,
to establish systems and processes to enable the timely and accurate delivery of monthly
management accounts and budget information. The postholder would be involved in the annual
budget setting process, provide ongoing support and direction for the budget holders as well as
investigating and reporting on variances. They would also be involved in ad hoc projects and reports,
such as contributing to the five-year business planning processes. The employer in this example was
looking for candidates to be an active finalist or qualified accountant with experience of delivering a
financial management service. Alongside expertise in computerized finance packages and proven
analytical skills, an ability to demonstrate strong inter-personal, planning and team working skills.
Assistant director of finance - within an NHS trust or clinical commissioning group, working closely
with the director of finance and commissioning. This would be an operational role focused on
delivering high quality finance, planning and reporting function. The postholder would be responsible
for improvements in systems and processes to improve the speed of reporting, financial analysis and
planning and internal controls. This type of role would demand an ability to implement tight controls,
effective communication, interpersonal and staff management skills, together with strong negotiating
skills. A good understanding of NHS finance, including financial planning, budgetary control and

performance management would also be essential.

Financial planning manager - working for an NHS trust or clinical commissioning group to provide a
financial planning service to commissioning acute services. Key responsibilities would include
providing the financial data to support local delivery plans and the Service Level Agreement process.
Ideally, educated to degree level with NHS experience and a qualified accountant recognised by the
Consultancy Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB). Effective communication, excellent
analytical and problem-solving ability would be required.
Assistant director of finance - financial planning and control - for example working in an
NHS trust, supporting the needs of over 3 million people and employing 7,100 staff on two main and
two smaller sites. In this example, a 270 million scheme is in place to modernise the trust and
improve health care provision in the area, including moving the majority of acute facilities onto a
single site hospital by 2007. In this post, the employer was seeking a CCAB qualified Accountant to
lead the day-to-day running of the busy financial planning and control function. The postholder would
be a key member of the Finance Senior Management team, with main areas of responsibility to lead
the maintenance and development of finance systems and formulate business cases to develop and
modernise the trusts services. They would also provide a comprehensive financial service in relation
to the Trusts Corporate Governance Agenda. This type of role would require strong communication,
management and interpersonal skills, and ideally, candidates would need to have experience of
financial planning and control, preferably within the NHS.
Head of finance - working within an NHS trust or clinical commissioning group. This example post
has responsibility for the financial leadership of the Information Communication and Technology
Programme across a number of NHS organisations to ensure that all statutory financial requirements
are met. Candidates would need to hold a recognised CCAB qualification and have experience
working at a senior level within a finance department in an NHS organisation or an organisation of a
comparable complexity. They would also need a sound understanding of NHS accounting/financial
policies and requirements and an awareness of government policy on ICT issues.

Finances

Keep a low overhead

Optimize the number of patients we can see in a hour while providing quality
medical care
Use the latest in electronic billing and/or utilize an outside billing company
Use this medical clinic business plan to review and guide management
decisions

Finance Department - GUH

The Finance Department provides comprehensive financial management and
accounting services which support the planning, management and delivery of
service at Galway University Hospitals (GUH) and operational strategies within a
framework of strong financial control and accountability.

The main sections within the Finance Department are as follows- Management Accounts
- Patients Accounts
- Wages & Salaries
- Accounts Payable and Travel & Expenses
- Legal & Claims
Contact Details:
The Finance Department, GUH is located across the road from the main
hospital entrance at the junction of Newcastle Road/University Road.
Access to the department is facilitated with the use of Staff ID/Swipe card or
by making appointment with relevant Staff member.
If the use of the lift is required please contact the department in advance to
make specific arrangements with a relevant staff member.
Phone: 091 54 4263 Fax: 091 54 2116
A Patients Accounts Cash Office is located on the ground floor of University
Hospital Galway and in the Enquiries building at Merlin Park University
Hospital. PATIENTS ACCOUNTS
This department is responsible for the billing of patients and collection of income in
respect of all patient episodes at the Galway University Hospitals (i.e. University
Hospital Galway and Merlin Park University Hospital) in accordance with the
relevant charges set out by the Department of Health and Children. Galway
University Hospitals operate a Direct Payments Scheme with VHI, Quinn Healthcare
and Aviva Health Insurance. The Department also deals with Patients Private
Property.
In-patient Hospital Charges
Persons admitted to a public hospital are liable for a daily Statutory In-Patient
Charge subject to the limit specified by the Department of Health & Children. In
some cases exemptions may apply and further information can be obtained in

Information on Paying your Hospital Patient Account

Up to date Hospital Charges
Accounts Enquiries
Write to:

Galway University Hospitals,

Patients Accounts Department,
Newcastle Road,
Galway,
Ireland.
Telephone:
- (091) 54 4304 / 54 4940/ for University Hospital Galway
- (091) 54 4144 for Merlin park University Hospital
Email: patients.accounts@hse.ie.WAGES AND SALARIES
This section is responsible for the accurate and timely payment of all staff at
University Hospital Galway and Merlin Park University Hospital (GUH) on receipt of
relevant information.
Salary queries from staff can be made to the following contact numbers:
NCHDs (091) 54 2701 / 54 2973
Consultants - (091) 54 4156
Nursing UHG - (091) 54 2592 / 54 2702
Nursing MPUH - (091) 54 4167
Clerical Admin UHG - (091) 54 2033
Clerical Admin MPUH - (091) 54 4167
Support Services UHG - (091) 54 4766
Support Services MPUH - (091) 54 4193
Maintenance UHG - (091) 54 2973
Maintenance MPUH - (091) 54 4193

PAYE Tax Office

LoCall 1890 77 7425
Galway (091) 547700
Galway Revenue Office,
Geata na Cathrach,
Fairgreen,
Galway.
www.revenue.ie
Department of Social P