Capital Accountant

Specialist advice, guidance

Provide technical financial / accounting

advice and guidance to Directors, Senior Managers, project managers and the FIG

on all aspects of capital accounting.

Review all capital expenditure to ensure

• the correct accounting treatment is applied.
• Ensure VAT is recovered where eligible,
• in accordance with current VAT legislation liaising with specialist VAT
• advisors as required

Liaise with external auditors and other

• professional advisors with respect to transactions whose nature requires highly
• specialist technical advice with regard to accounting treatment.
• Lead the development and review of the
• Trust's capital accounting framework, policies, procedures and financial
• controls, identifying areas requiring change as a result of developments in
• accounting standards, NHS financial policy, regulatory requirements, audit
• findings and organisational priorities.

Develop recommendations for changes to

capital financial governance and present these to the appropriate senior

management and governance forums for approval

Provide input and advice on capital

accounting, investment options and modelling in the appraisal of new capital

schemes.

Provide capital Project Managers and

other non-finance staff with advice and guidance on the capital ordering and

capital accounting processes.

Capital Planning

Develop and maintain the financial

framework and timetable for capital planning, business-case development,

approval, monitoring and year-end delivery.

Lead the development of the Trust's

• annual capital programme and medium-term capital investment plan, assessing
• competing investment requirements, affordability, available capital resources,
• delivery capacity, financial risks and the alignment of proposed investments
• with Trust strategy.

Responsibility for setting, maintaining

and monitoring the financial profile of the capital programme within the

overall capital resource allocation approved by the Trust.

Formulate and recommend changes to

capital budgets, expenditure profiles and forecasts within delegated authority

Implement NHSE annual and medium-term

capital planning guidance requirements

Capital Reporting

• Analyse highly complex financial,
• accounting and business information relating to capital investment proposals
• and provide expert recommendations on financial, accounting, affordability and
• resource implications.

Maintain oversight of the financial

position of the Trust's portfolio of capital schemes and advise senior

management on affordability, prioritisation and delivery

Prepare capital expenditure analysis for

• the FIG and for external reporting to NHSE via monthly monitoring returns.
• Trust Capital Expenditure Control Totals
• Identify emerging financial risks within
• the capital programme and determine corrective action, escalating only matters
• requiring senior management or executive decision, to ensure the Trust remains
• within its Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL)

Financial Management and investment

decisions

Evaluate complex capital business cases,

challenge assumptions, assess risks and benefits, and advise senior managers

and FIG on preferred options.

Challenge capital project managers,

budget holders and senior managers where proposed expenditure, project scope,

financial assumptions, forecasts or delivery timescales create financial,

affordability or capital-resource risks. Require appropriate corrective action

within the post holder's delegated authority and escalate unresolved matters to

the appropriate senior management.

Develop financial models and sensitivity

analysis to support major capital investment decisions.

Provide recommendations to senior

• management and the FIG regarding prioritisation, phasing, deferral or
• acceleration of capital investment where available resources are insufficient
• to meet all identified requirements.
• Maintain Capital Accounting records
• Maintain and develop the Trusts Fixed
• Asset Register (FAR) including the setting up of new assets, and ensuring that
• the records are complete, up to date and accurate.

Maintain the Trusts right-of-use (leased)

asset accounting records ensuring that these reflect the Trusts current lease

commitments.

Review all capital schemes and

reclassify from assets under construction to in use assets raising and

posting journal entries to the financial ledger.

Review all planned disposals and

reclassify as assets held for sale.

Account for the disposal of assets in

the FAR ensuring all necessary documentation has been completed and approvals

obtained. Ensure disposal proceeds, if applicable are received and that the

disposal is properly accounted for in the financial ledger and the FAR.

Ensure that the accounting records for

fixed assets comply with those set out in the capital accounting manual and

International Accounting Standards (IAS) 16, 36 and 38 and IFRS16 and that any

changes to the accounting standards are correctly applied.

Responsible for carrying out monthly

reconciliation of the Fixed Asset Register to the General Ledger.

Be the primary contact for the Trusts

yearly asset verification exercise. Provide inventories of fixed assets to Departmental

Managers annually for asset verification purposes and ensure that these are

returned and actioned on a timely basis. Provide advice on the impairment of

assets and ensure the relevant IAS is applied.

Run depreciation calculations monthly,

ensuring that they are correctly calculated and in line with the Trusts

depreciation policy before posting to the financial ledger. Responsible for producing and managing

forecasting of the depreciation calculations for use in the Trusts financial

planning cycle, ensuring the integrity of the data.

Lead on the annual revaluation of the

Trusts estate either by a desktop review using indexation or formal full

revaluation (minimum five-yearly).

Calculate any impairments and movements to and from the revaluation

reserve, draft and post the revaluation amounts to the financial ledger as

necessary.

Meet Project managers periodically to

discuss project progress and the impact of any delays.

Input of monthly fixed asset journals to

the finance system to ensure the ledger agrees to the Fixed Asset Register.

This will include but is not limited to items such as additions, disposals,

depreciation, impairments, indexation, and revaluations.

Input of journals to remove or add

values from the Revaluation Reserve and the reconciliation of the Revaluation

Reserve to the finance system.

Ensure assets acquired from charitable

funds or donations are properly accounted for as such and that the donated

income is recorded correctly in the financial ledger.

Reconciliation of capital balance sheet

control accounts and reconciliation of any control balances and suspense

accounts as directed by the Chief Financial Accountant.

Produce working papers as necessary to

support the Trusts reporting requirements.

The post-holder is required to act

independently and use own initiative to make changes where there are

opportunities to make process improvements in relation to either capital

planning, reporting or business cases

Responsible for completing the capital

elements of the statutory accounts and associated returns. Prepare clear and

accurate working papers for use by External Audit.

Complete capital asset financial

information for the monthly NHS returns, annual statutory accounts and

financial planning returns ensuring that work is completed on a timely basis so

that internal and external reporting deadlines are met.

Lead on liaising with Internal Audit on

any internal capital audits and reviews.

Liaise with external audit on any

capital queries for the year end statutory accounts.

Other

activities

Maintain the Business Case Tracker so

that all business cases and authorisation dates are recorded and presented to FIG

Instruct and train other staff in topics

where particular skills are held.

Take responsibility for meeting own

objectives and of won development needs

Maintains confidentiality and

implementing data protection legislation requirements including information

governance.

Undertake project work including acting

as the Finance Lead as appropriate.

Providing financial

management support for capital projects.

Undertake any other duties as directed

by the Finance Director which are consistent with the nature and grade of the

job.

Communication

and working relationships:

Provide authoritative

specialist financial advice to Executive Directors, senior managers, capital

project leads, budget holders and capital investment governance groups.

Present complex financial

analysis, business-case evaluations, accounting judgements, financial risks and

recommendations to senior management and governance committees.

Use developed

• influencing, negotiating and persuasive skills to challenge capital expenditure
• proposals, financial assumptions and project forecasts where they are
• inconsistent with Trust financial objectives or NHS requirements.
• Please see supporting information of the job description & person specification for full details