ACC Senior Clinical Coder

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Swindon; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Swindon is seeking an Accredited Clinical Coder to transform complex patient information into accurate ICD-10 and OPCS-4 codes, supporting NHS funding and service planning.

You will review clinical records, work with clinicians, and ensure timely, compliant coding to maintain high data quality across the Trust’s hospital pathways.

Qualifications

• NCCQ Accreditation (ACC) is essential.
• Clinical Coding Standards Refresher training within last 3 years.
• Degree or equivalent training and experience.

Responsibilities

• Extract, analyse and translate clinical information into ICD-10 and OPCS-4 codes.
• Input data onto the Trust's encoder within deadlines.
• Code inpatient spells accurately and comprehensively.
• Access radiology and pathology results to update coded information.

Skills

ICD-10

OPCS-4

Data quality

Analytical thinking

Education

NCCQ Accreditation (ACC)

Degree or equivalent training and experience

Tools

ICD-10

OPCS-4

Job description

Job Summary

Are you passionate about healthcare, data quality and making a real impact behind the scenes? We are looking for an Accredited Clinical Coder, to play a vital role in transforming complex patient information into accurate, nationally recognised clinical data that supports patient care, NHS funding, service planning and performance reporting.

Job Summary

Are you passionate about healthcare, data quality and making a real impact behind the scenes? We are looking for an Accredited Clinical Coder, to play a vital role in transforming complex patient information into accurate, nationally recognised clinical data that supports patient care, NHS funding, service planning and performance reporting.

In this rewarding and intellectually stimulating role, you will review and interpret detailed clinical records from patient case notes and electronic health systems, applying your expert knowledge of ICD-10 and OPCS-4 classifications to accurately assign diagnostic and procedure codes in line with national coding standards. Every record presents a unique challenge, requiring analytical thinking, attention to detail and the ability to interpret complex clinical information to make informed coding decisions.

Working closely with clinicians and multidisciplinary teams, you will ensure that each patient's hospital journey is accurately and comprehensively represented. You will use your specialist expertise to explain coding decisions, provide advice on complex coding scenarios and contribute to maintaining the highest standards of data quality across the Trust.

The successful candidate will be an Accredited Clinical Coder (ACC), having achieved the National Clinical Coding Qualification, and will be committed to maintaining professional standards within this highly respected and valued profession.

Main duties of the job

Clinical Coders are essential to the NHS, providing the data that underpins healthcare planning, clinical research, national reporting and the allocation of funding. This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the delivery and future development of healthcare services while continually developing your specialist knowledge and expertise.

To accurately extract, analyse and translate clinical information from clinical records into nationally recognised diagnosis (ICD 10) and procedure (OPCS 4) codes for admitted patient care. Input the relevant information onto the Trust's encoder, within agreed Trust deadlines. Undertake the coding of inpatient spells, ensuring these are coded accurately and comprehensively. Use the patient administration system to access radiology and pathology results to update coded information not defined at procedure or discharge. Apply knowledge of clinical terminology, anatomical and physiological terms as necessary.

About Us

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group - a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

Job Description

Job responsibilities

• Review and analyse patient records to accurately identify and abstract diagnoses, co-morbidities, complications and procedures relevant to each inpatient episode.
• Assign accurate ICD-10 and OPCS-4 codes in accordance with national clinical coding standards, conventions and guidelines.
• Code complex clinical specialties and deceased patient records, liaising with clinicians where required to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Maintain high standards of coding quality and productivity, contributing to the delivery of timely and reliable clinical data.
• Provide expert advice on complex coding issues, explaining coding decisions and rationale to clinical, medical and administrative staff.
• Collaborate with clinicians to clarify diagnoses, procedures and emerging clinical practices to support accurate code assignment.
• Share specialist knowledge and provide support, guidance and technical advice to colleagues within the Clinical Coding team.
• Plan and manage a personal workload effectively, working independently to meet agreed objectives and deadlines.
• Contribute to the achievement of monthly coding targets and support team performance during periods of absence or increased workload.
• Use patient administration, pathology, radiology and other clinical systems to gather and validate information required for coding.
• Ensure coded data, patient demographics and admission, transfer and discharge details are recorded accurately and promptly.
• Identify and report data quality issues to ensure patient activity is accurately captured within Trust systems.
• Maintain professional competence through continuous learning, participation in coding reviews and completion of mandatory national refresher training.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of coding quality, data accuracy and compliance with national standards.

Person Specification

Qualifications Essential

• NCCQ Accreditation (ACC)
• Clinical Coding Standards Refresher training certification within last 3 years
• Degree or equivalent training and experience

Qualifications Desirable

• Anatomy & Physiology or Human biology qualification
• Attendance at NHS Digital approved clinical coding workshops or specialty courses

Experience Essential

• Significant experience of coding inpatient activity across a wide range of specialties within an acute NHS Trust setting
• Demonstrable knowledge, experience and understanding of ICD10 & OPCS 4 classifications and standards
• Experience of using both paper and electronic records to extract clinical information for the purposes of clinical coding

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check: This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship: Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab) . From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab) .