Finances

The work of the finance department

The department provides financial management information for divisions, produces business cases, provides financial training, financial planning for the future, payroll and employee services function and processes the collection and payment of invoices.

The department also provides a control function to the organisation, overseeing and accounting for all the expenditures during the financial year, as well as safeguarding income through the contracts with its commissioners.

The division is currently a member of the HFMA Partner Programme and participates in the Finance Skills Development (FSD) Network.

Financial governance and control

This department is responsible for ensuring suppliers are paid, monies owed to the Trust are recovered, maintaining systems, procedures and controls for finance.

Financial accounting and services also include external reporting requirements such as reporting to NHS England & Improvement, the Trust’s statutory annual accounts, liaison with internal and external auditors and the completion of the Annual charitable fund’s accounts.  They are based at Bensham Hospital.

These services are open Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm.

If you have received an invoice and have a query about it, then please contact Julie Robinson in the Accounts Receivable team on
0191 445 2622 or [email protected]

If you have received an invoice from us and would like to make a payment by credit or debit card then please contact the cashiers on
0191 445 5351 or send cheques to Accounts Receivable, Financial Services, Bensham Hospital, Fontwell Drive, Bensham, Gateshead, NE8 4YL.

If you are a private patient and would like to make a payment, please contact 0191 445 5351.  Alternatively, if you have a query please contact the Corporate Income Team at [email protected].

If you are an overseas visitor information on your entitlement to healthcare can be found on the Department of Health website. 

Alternatively, if you have a query please contact the Trust Overseas Visitor Team at [email protected]. Telephone number +44 (0)191 2824150.  Address The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, The Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4LP.

Countering Fraud

The Board of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities to protect its resources against fraud, bribery and corruption seriously.

Every year millions of pounds worth of public money is lost through fraud, bribery and corruption in and against the NHS.  This is unacceptable and diverts valuable resources from our main priority, patient care. 

With your help and support, we can achieve our aim to reduce fraud, bribery and corruption in and against Gateshead Health to an absolute minimum and keep it there permanently.

English Law defines fraud within the Fraud Act 2006 and replaces the previous deception offences contained under the Theft Acts 1968 and 1978. The new fraud specific offences are:

• Fraud by false representation
• Fraud by failing to disclose information
• Fraud by abuse of position
• Possession of articles for use in frauds
• Making or supplying articles for use in frauds

Obtaining services dishonestly

There is no single profile of an NHS fraudster. Fraud can be committed by staff including doctors, nurses, paramedics and Chief Executives, as well as by patients, contractors, suppliers and visitors. In fact, anyone who comes into contact with the NHS can commit fraud.

What happens to those who commit fraud?

Fraud will not be toleraFraud will not be tolerated within or against Gateshead Health.

Anyone found committing fraud can face:

• Criminal Action – including arrest, police caution or prosecution,
• Civil Recovery Action – used to get the stolen money back,
• Disciplinary Action (if a member of staff) – which includes dismissal, demotion and verbal or written warnings.

Please note that the actions stated above are not exhaustive and Gateshead Health can apply ALL of these actions simultaneously. Criminal convictions for fraud carry a maximum of 10 YEARS in prison.

If appropriate, Gateshead Health can refer cases to the relevant Professional Bodies so that they can take their own action. This action could include the individual being struck off or reprimanded and may affect their future career.

Trust Accounts and Annual Reports

At the end of each financial year, we produce an annual report and annual accounts so that you can see what’s been happening in the Trust, how we’ve spent our money, and how we are performing.

As an open and transparent organisation, we think it’s important that our local community, as well as the wider population, has access to this information in an easily digestible format. You’ll find our annual reports for the last couple of years below. If you’d like them in an alternative format you can contact our Corporate Services Office on 0191 445 6043 or [email protected]

Our most recent annual reports and accounts are published in our resources section.

Executive pay

The Greenbury Disclosure states that all NHS Bodies must disclose levels of executive pay.  This is published in the Trust’s annual report

Standing financial instructions

The Standing Financial Instructions (SFIs) detail the financial responsibilities, policies and procedures to be adopted by QE Gateshead.  They are designed to ensure that our financial transactions are carried out in accordance with the law and government policy in order to achieve probity, accuracy, economy, efficiency and effectiveness. 

Cashiers

The Cashiers Office is open to members of the public and is located at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Opening hours are 9.30am – 4.30pm Monday to Thursday and 9.30am – 4.00pm on Friday

The cashiers provide the following services:

• Payment of patients travel expenses to eligible patients – for information on whether you are entitled to reclaim travel expenses please click here When visiting the cashiers for reimbursement, please bring with you: Proof of benefit, appointment letter and bus or parking ticket.
• Receipt of monies directly from patients, visitors and staff.
• We advise that you do not bring valuables or large amounts of cash with you when you are admitted to hospital, however if you have brought valuables with you these can be deposited at the cashiers for retrieval when you leave. If you wish to collect the valuables or property of a loved one, visit the cashier’s department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.  Please ensure you have all necessary legal documents with you.
• Receipt of charitable donations from patients, visitors and staff.
• Lost property – to check whether your lost item has been handed to this office, please call 0191 445 2622. Please bring evidence of ownership when collecting lost property.

You cannot withdraw cash from the cashiers’ department but there is a cash machine in the Amigos shop near the main entrance of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

If you are visiting Bensham Hospital and need to contact the cashiers you may visit the Accounts Payable department. You must dial 5351 at the door to gain entry. The Bensham Accounts Payable department cannot receive charitable donations or take card payments at present.

Please note there are no facilities on the Bensham Hospital site to withdraw cash. It is therefore advisable to bring a small amount of cash with you when visiting the hospital for car parking, drinks and other such comforts.

Strategic finance

Strategic covers all aspects of financial management support for income, expenditure and transformation.  With the team supporting all activities that are concerned with the use of resources that have a financial impact.

It is an essential part of the overall performance management arrangements of the trust and deals with revenue.

The structure provides a clear framework for financial control by ensuring that all of the services within the trust have access to a dedicated financial management team.

Some of the services that the staff in Strategic Finance provide are:

• budget setting.
• monitoring and reviewing of income and expenditure.
• costing information for projects and service redesigns.
• forecasting future financial performance.
• monitoring and reporting of cost improvement programmes
• financial awareness training
• production of the external financial returns to NHS England & Improvement
• production of the Trust Financial Plan
• commissioner and CCG contracting and agreements.
• patient-level costing.
• NCA’s & overseas returns and annual planning & forecasting.

Strategic Finance is currently located remotely and will soon be moving to Bensham Hospital to be co-located with the Trusts Financial Services Team.

The main contact points for further information are:

• Financial Management [email protected]
• Jane Fay, Assistant Director of Finance Strategic Finance [email protected]

Payroll and employee services

Payroll and employee services manage the trust’s staff services.  They provide the following services:

• Payroll – [email protected]
• Expenses – [email protected]
• Lease car administration – [email protected]
• Pensions – [email protected]

Payroll and expenses departments are based at:

NHS Payroll Services
Cobalt Business Exchange
Cobalt Parkway
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE28 9NZ

Employee services are based at Bensham Hospital.