A day in the life of an NHS Finance Business Partner.

1.     What is the starting salary range for this role?

Within the NHS, roles are banded. Generally fully fledged finance business partners will start at Band 8A. For inner London this would be around £46,000 or £230 a day on a temporary basis.

There is lots of scope for progression, with Finance Business Partners working up to Band 8c for larger NHS trusts earning up to £74k or £400 per day.

2.     How do you enter this field?

At this level you will need to be a qualified Accountant (CIMA, CIPFA, ACCA, ACA or equivalent).

The general progression route will be starting out working within Management accounts for an NHS organisation and working your way up the bands.

3.     What does a typical day in the office look like?

Finance Business Partners generally manage finances for a clinical division, i.e. Paediatrics, Maternity or Emergency Care and due to the nature of the work will be variable.

A typical day will involve creating reports to present to budget holders within the Hospital, including Doctors and operational staff.

Much of a typical day will be spent in meetings establishing the needs of divisional staff and reporting the financial position.

Due to the difficult financial position of the NHS, an integral part of any role is tracking and monitoring the cost improvement plan- establishing savings and ways of generating income.

4.     What is the most challenging aspect of the job?

Can be very pressured especially during month end & budget setting.

Building relationships with budget holders is key and may not always be easy.

5.     What is the most rewarding aspect of the job?

You can make a real impact on the clinical division that you look after, transforming services as the finance lead.

The budgets that you are dealing with save lives and the numbers that you are dealing with represent real people.

6.     What skills are the most important to perform well in this kind of role?

Communication skills are key, as well as the ability to build relationships with sometimes difficult budget holders.

A strong background in management accounts is also obligatory.

7.     What advice would you give to someone looking to apply for a similar role?

Passion and attitude goes a long way with roles of this nature! Interviewers will be looking for a Finance Business Partner that can deal with their budget holders and clinical staff.

Enthusiasm will get you a long way with these interviews!