Finance Officer (SO1)

Job Category: Financial
Job location: Trinity Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 3NJ,
Lewisham Council
Hours per week: 35

Start date: Immediate start
Salary: £22.14 per hour

Finance Liaison Officer (S01)

An exciting opportunity has arisen within Lewisham Adult Social Care to develop specialised skills within the wider remit of the Financial Assessment arena.

We are looking for someone to work in a hybrid environment in Lewisham Hospital. Your role will be to work closely with clients and their families/representatives to ensure that they understand the financial implications of their care pathway, specifically for care home placements, and provide all necessary evidence and information so that the person requiring care is placed swiftly and securely.

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate experience of working within a fast-paced environment, meeting tight deadlines with accuracy and have the ability to manage challenging and emotional conversations with empathy to achieve desired outcomes.

Training will be provided by both the Financial Assessment Team Lead, as well as Arranging Care Team managers.

Experience of Adult Social care related Financial Assessment, and systems would be an advantage.

Role and responsibilities

These include but are not limited to:

Providing on-site financial information and advice to aid speedy discharge of medically fit patients at University Hospital London, as well as out of borough hospitals.

Being a point of contact for social work colleagues, clients, client representatives with finance queries across the community and hospital pathway, including leading on service user and representative communication, as well as signposting and information gathering with Arranging Care Team/Financial Assessment Team/ASC Debt Team/DWP.

Explaining the Financial Assessment Policy, Care Act Statutory duties and Council & NHS processes to clients/representatives/social work and NHS colleagues/, including;

• Capital threshold/12-week disregard/impact on owning property (shared/individual or second property)

• Advising on local authority statutory responsibility for state funded client/private funders, including if clients chose to arrange a placement out of borough

• What to do if there is no financial representative and the patient lacks capacity, and the impact of appointing an alternative Deputy. This includes monitoring and chasing up on the progression of COP applications, tasks for both for family and Council representative. Also explaining Panel deputy and Lewisham Money Management options for those with no appropriate personal representative.

• Advising client representatives on Interim Funding evidence required for IF Panel consideration if not enough liquid assets to place privately due to selling a property, applying for LPA, representative not willing to be LPA/Deputy and client lacks capacity

• Advising client representatives/clients/Social Work colleagues if a care home does not agree the client has enough funds to meet care home requirement to fund for a set period

• Completing Court of Protection checks for Attorney’s/Deputy’s

• Supporting private funders and their representatives with providing a list of potential placements they can approach to support expedited discharge once medically fit

• Keeping Liquidlogic and ContrOCC (Case Management Systems) up to date with accurate and relevant notes.

Leading on the presentation of cases to Interim Funding Panel, ensuring cases are progressed and social workers are updating on necessary tasks.

Maintaining the Interim Funding Spreadsheet, ensuring progress is updated, and new cases are reflected. Also reviewing client’s who’s interim funding period is nearing expiration.

Issuing interim loan agreements and sending letters, including extensions and ensuring signed copies are stored on LAS. Monitoring closures of interim funding, including final debt figures and repayment.

Screening applications for Client Money Management Team, ensuring all necessary documents are provided, and that cases are appropriate and that there is no conflict of interest. Being a point of contact for community/TOCH queries around client charging for staff, service users and representatives