online financial coding - nhs supply chain online

Online Financial Coding

NHS Supply Chain Online Financial Coding User Guidance Notes

Version Date Author Details

1.0 10/05/2007 Elaine Sayer LOL version 1.0 user guide


1 General principles .......................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 User roles................................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 System conventions................................................................................................................................................ 2

2 Logging-on...................................................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Logging-on to Logistics Online................................................................................................................................ 3 2.2 The Supply Chain Online home page ..................................................................................................................... 3 2.3 Passwords and login ............................................................................................................................................... 4

3 The Supply Chain Online home page ........................................................................................................................... 6 4 Roles and menu options................................................................................................................................................ 7 5 Trust maintenance.......................................................................................................................................................... 9

5.1 Format maintenance ............................................................................................................................................. 10 5.1.1 Component selection................................................................................................................................... 10 5.1.2 Coding Format............................................................................................................................................. 10

5.2 Default maintenance ............................................................................................................................................. 10 6 Expense code maintenance......................................................................................................................................... 12 7 Entity/Cost centre ......................................................................................................................................................... 14 8 Reports .......................................................................................................................................................................... 15 9 Catalogue ...................................................................................................................................................................... 16 10 Help ........................................................................................................................................................................... 21


May 2007 Page 1 of 1

1 General principles

Supply Chain Online enables Trusts to order from the NHS Supply Chain catalogue through a web-based ordering system. Online Financial Coding is a facility within Online Ordering which enables Trusts to maintain their own specific coding structures linked to products and budget controls. This guide takes you through each of the functions of Online Financial Coding. If you look through the functions described, you will see how the system is used to create new, and amend existing coding.

1.1 User roles

There are four roles relevant to Online Financial Coding. User maintenance A user with this role can create/amend other users, with the exception of Trust Administrators, within the limits of their own access rights. This role is covered fully in the Online ordering guidance notes. Trust administrator Trust administrators are created by the NHS Supply Chain administrator and can create any other user and grant all access roles with the exception of the trust administrator role and can amend any user details including their own. This role is covered fully in the Online ordering guidance notes. In addition to these user roles, the trust administrator can also assign multiple Trusts to a user where this is applicable.

Your Trust Administrator is: Financial coding This role enables the user to maintain expense codes, entity/cost centres and produce reports for both. Financial coding administrator This role enables the user to maintain expense codes, entity/cost centres and produce reports for both as above; in addition they have trust maintenance which enables creation and amendment of the Trust’s coding structure and defaults.



1.2 System conventions

Supply Chain Online uses some standard functions to make the system more user-friendly. Some of these will be familiar to users of windows and other browser-based applications.

• Functions can be accessed by clicking on options displayed on the menu bar at the top of the main Supply Chain Online screen. These are displayed in white text on a blue background.

• Clicking on these options will present the text in dark blue and offer further options, where available, from a

dropdown, these in turn can be activated by clicking on them.

• Fields displayed in blue text are either hyperlinks or action buttons.

• The size of the main display area of the screen is increased by hitting the F11 key on the keyboard. This will maximise the Supply Chain Online window. Key F11 to return the display to the original format.

• Only one system user can edit an individual gl code at any one time. If another user attempts to edit the same

code, a message will appear on the screen to tell the user that the record is locked. Details of the other user will be listed so that the record can be unlocked if necessary.

• The CTRL F5 function will remove any latent caching within your Online session, which may resolve minor

screen display issues.

• When details have been entered, save screens if instructed before exiting.



2 Logging-on

2.1 Logging-on to Logistics Online

• From your PC connect to NHSNet through your local network

• Connect to NHS Supply Chain website homepage (either by clicking on the Logistics Net icon where available or by typing http//nww.Logistics.nhs.uk) From here, using the link button, then clicking on the icon for “Online Ordering “ you can navigate to the Online ordering home screen.

• Alternatively you can also click in the ‘address’ box. Overtype the Logistics Net address with

lol.Logistics.nhs.uk (normal text in lowercase)

• The above will open the Supply Chain Online home page.

2.2 The Supply Chain Online home page

Users have eight options from the home page:

• Online ordering – ordering application including financial coding

• Electronic demand capture – materials management application

• e-billing – online self serve billing application

• Home delivery – patient and Care Home delivery application

• Online catalogue – electronic national catalogue updated daily

• NHS Supply Chain Website – to return to Logistics Net and user reports

• Supply chain knowledge centre

• Network speed test – this checks the speed of your network



Where a PDF icon displays this will be a link to the guidance notes where available. Financial Coding is part of the Online ordering application:

• Click on Online ordering and this will display the Online ordering log-on screen.

• You can now log on to Online ordering by entering your username and password.

2.3 Passwords and login

The Trust administrator creates the username and password for Online users. If the user already has a login and password for Online Ordering this can simply be amended to include any additional specific roles as previously explained. The login screen requires a unique username and password, forcing the letters to be in uppercase as you key them in. User names that have become inactive can not be re-used as inactive user data is retained for an indefinite period. If your existing password is still valid, once you have entered your user name and password, click login or enter return. If you are using the system for the first time, or if your password has expired, you will be asked to enter a new password and once the new password is confirmed, you will be logged onto the system.

As you click the save changes button, a window may appear asking you whether you want Windows to remember your password. Select the don’t offer to remember any more passwords option, and then click on the no option – this is very important for security reasons. The Supply Chain Online home page will now be displayed. If you have forgotten your password then click the blue ‘Forgotten your password?’ text.



The application information on the screen above should be noted, it will be updated as system requirements dictate. The following screen will then appear. Enter your email and click the send password button. A new login password will then be sent to you.



3 The Supply Chain Online home page

After logging in the following screen will be displayed.

If the user has more than one Trust, then selecting a Trust will refresh the screen with the distributor information and the Trust’s system alerts and messages, as shown above. If the user has only one Trust, then the system will default to this.

Menu bar

Current Trust

Trust selection

User roles

System alerts and messages



4 Roles and menu options

The menu options displayed for users will depend on the roles that your trust administrator has assigned to you.

• Financial coding

• Financial coding administrator

The above are the two finance roles that Trusts require. The Trust Administrator Role can only be assigned by NHS Logistics (contact IT Help Desk on 01773 724255, or email [email protected] ). However, all other roles can be assigned by the Trust Administrator to any of their staff.



The menu options are:

• Catalogue This enquiry facility enables the user to browse through the stock catalogue sections or search for specific stock items .

• Financial coding This provides a dropdown menu giving access to the financial elements of – trust maintenance (for those users with the financial administrator role), expense code maintenance, entity/cost maintenance, and reports for these.

• Log off This option should be selected when the user wishes to terminate an OnLine ordering session. To avoid record locking ensure orders are either saved or checked out before selecting this option, which will close the application.



5 Trust maintenance

This option is available to financial administrators only. On the home page select the appropriate trust and click on any reqpoint to make all details available. From the finance coding dropdown as shown below click on the trust maintenance option.

This screen is used to create and maintain the structure of the trust’s coding. Reference text is provided on the right hand side of the screen.



5.1 Format maintenance

5.1.1 Component selection In Online coding the finance code comprises up to four elements, enter these to represent the sequence they are to appear in the financial code:

• D - District – in a separate box, this is the two digit district code for the trust which is seen as the last two characters in brackets after the trust name in the top right hand corner of the screen. It is entered automatically by the system and is mandatory.

• C - Cost centre – this is the code the trust associates with the requisition point or budget holder. It is

mandatory.

• E - Entity – this is an additional code linked to the cost centre whereby the trust can group different cost centres together. It is not mandatory.

• X - eXpense - this is the code the trust associates with the product or NPC. It is mandatory.

5.1.2 Coding Format Using a specific character format will determine the length of each component and ensure the type of each character subsequently entered in the code tables conforms to those required by the trust: Enter ? if the code should be alphabetic (a-z, A-Z) only Enter # if the code should be numeric (0-9) only Enter A if the code can be alphanumeric (a-z, A-Z, 0-9) The number of ?, or #, or A determines the length of the code, so for example: ???? would be a four digit code comprising of just alpha characters ###### would be a six digit code comprising of just numerics ??##AA would be a six digit code where the first two digits could only be alpha, the middle two digits could only be numeric, and the last two could be alpha or numeric. Using the ?, # or A as explained in enter the:

• Expense code format

• Cost centre format

• Entity code format (if required)

• Active - Use this tick box to make all the financial coding active.

5.2 Default maintenance

The codes entered here are used in the event that one or more elements of the full financial code are missing from the cost and expense code tables.



For each element of the default code, the expense, cost and where required entity, must be entered as the actual default code required by the Trust’s financial system. These codes must conform to the same format and length as the rest of the structure as entered in format maintenance.



6 Expense code maintenance

Select expense code maintenance from the dropdown financial coding menu. The screen will display a tree that may be opened and closed to show all stock product categories. Against the product lines expense codes will show in green and cost centres specified to override the reqpoint cost centre will be shown in blue.



By clicking a product category boxes are displayed on the right hand side enable input or amendment of codes.

Coding format

Cost centre override

Expense code



7 Entity/Cost centre

Click the entity/cost centre option from the financial coding menu and this screen will be displayed.

Tab is used to navigate from field to field. Code format must comply to that specified in the trust maintenance section, as shown in the column heading. In addition the user may enter either reqpoint number or reqpoint name to locate a specific reqpoint requiring update or entry. Alternatively the user may simply check the box to show only uncoded recently created reqpoints. Note that if entity is not specified in trust maintenance by the financial code administrator it will not appear as a column for entry on this screen.



8 Reports

Select either expense code or cost centre report from the financial coding menu dropdown, to display with a print option. Here are examples:



9 Catalogue

The catalogue search facility enables you to look for a product in the NHS Supply Chain catalogue or your Local Catalogue using your own search criteria. Once a search has been carried out, results are then displayed, listing the products that match the search criteria. The preferred product can then be selected to add to the shopping basket. If you want to use the search facility: Click on Search under the Catalogue option This will open a box for you to enter your search text criteria, and then clicking on the search button will produce the NPC details as below. All the results of the search will then be displayed as a list of products that fit the search criteria, giving NPC, description, Unit of Issue, and price bands.These are displayed in best match sequence, with a page selector at the bottom of the screen to enable you to navigate through all the results.

The search criteria should contain one or more words that are likely to be found in either the base description, the secondary description, the NPC, the Manufacturers Product Code (MPC), Brand or in any of these (All). If you know the product you are looking for is a ‘knife’, then enter this as the search criteria and click the dropdown box for ‘description’ or ‘All’ since they are the most likely elements to contain this word. Multiple words may be used as search criteria but will only be found when all the words appear in the same element, and not across several elements. Note that the ‘description’ shown is the Base followed by Secondary, and each is treated as a separate element. Try these to see the different results – use ALL from the dropdown:

• ICE • ICE CREAM • CREAMY • CREAMY ICE

By mixing the search criteria and the element choices you can maximise your results.

Page navigator



• A National Product Code (NPC) or part of a code

• Manufacturer’s product code (or part of a code)

• Brand name (or part name)

The search results screen lists the NPC, product description, brand name, unit of issue and price details. It also indicates whether a product is covered by COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) or CHIP (Chemical Hazards Information and Packaging) regulations. COSHH is an ‘active’ field on this screen to allow you to link to the COSHH data sheet on LogisticsNet. To view the full product card click on the icon to view product details. Also, if the item has a COSHH icon in the attributes field then you can click this to link to the COSHH data sheet on LogisticsNet. There is a ‘back’ button in the bottom right of the product card to click and return to the initial search results.

Click COSHH icon to display further information relating to the product



The catalogue browse facility enables you to look for a product in the NHS Logistics catalogue via a display of commodity types. To use the browse facility click on Browse under the Catalogue option.

There are three main features on the browse screen: Catalogue tree this displays the NHS Logistics catalogue in the form of a tree, which can be expanded to show the next level of detail by clicking on the plus sign to the left of the section heading, or if no plus sign is displayed by clicking on the section heading Find This will go to the required part of the catalogue by entering an NPC or part NPC (a minimum of two alpha characters must be entered) Key to masking Explanation of mask and product classification symbols. There are three different colours which define the status of different sections/products in the catalogue and these are displayed in the catalogue browse facility: Mask Meaning Description

Unmasked section

These groups of products can be ordered by users with the appropriate role

Masked section

groups of products have been masked by the Trust, and are not available. Unless the user has the mask override role.

Partially masked section

some of the products in the section are masked and may not be ordered

Key to masking

Catalogue tree

Product find



Select the required product group, and then catalogue sections by clicking on the plus sign. A list of products will then be displayed. Clicking on a specific product will then show the product details on the right hand side.

Key to product symbols:

COSHH item (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health)

denotes Cross Dock item with variable lead time displayed in hover text

denotes eco-friendly item

denotes e-Direct item with lead time displayed in hover text denotes electro medical item



In addition, a specific NPC may be entered in the right hand box to display product details as shown below.



10 Help

Help for NHS Supply Chain OnLine users is available from a number of sources; NHS Supply Chain OnLine training environment After your training session, you will be able to log on to the system and practise using the training environment. This means you can try different aspects of the system without submitting live orders. Contact your Trust Administrator for training access should this be required. Once you are ready to start using the live system your Trust Administrator will set you up with a user name and you can then log on to the live system and start using NHS Supply Chain OnLine to order goods from NHS Supply Chain. Help will be available by contacting the central NHS Supply Chain IT helpdesk number 01773 724255 or E-mail: [email protected] The user guidance notes are available online from the NHS Supply Chain OnLine homepage.

online financial coding - nhs supply chain online

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