Senior Clinical Coder

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Basingstoke; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Accredited Clinical Coder (Band 5) to join the Clinical Coding Team. You will code diverse case mix across specialties and support high-quality data for planning, reimbursement and research.

The role offers hybrid working (on-site and remote) with opportunities to mentor less experienced coders and work with clinicians to resolve queries. A commitment to accuracy and timely delivery is essential.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of medical terminology and anatomical terms gained through training.
• GCSE Biology or equivalent; minimum grade C.
• Knowledge of coding procedures and conventions in NHS hospital settings.

Responsibilities

• Code a diverse case mix, from high-volume day cases to highly specialised activity, ensuring accuracy and timelines.
• Maintain high levels of accuracy whilst meeting coding deadlines and productivity targets.
• Work collaboratively with clinicians and colleagues to resolve coding queries and support data quality improvements.
• Mentor and support less experienced coders, strengthening team capability.

Skills

Medical terminology

Analytical skills

Communication

Coding systems

Education

GCSE Biology or equivalent

Job description

Our cultural ambition is to have a culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we all belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and motivated Accredited Clinical Coder (Band 5) to join the Hampshire Hospitals Clinical Coding Team.

We are seeking a self-motivated and enthusiastic individual who is competent in accurately coding across multiple complex specialties and who understands the importance of high-quality coded data in supporting healthcare planning, reimbursement, service management, statistical analysis, and research.

As a Senior Clinical Coder, you will:

• Code a diverse case mix, from high-volume day cases to highly specialised activity, ensuring accuracy and timelines
• Maintain high levels of accuracy whilst meeting coding deadlines and productivity targets.
• Work collaboratively with clinicians and colleagues to resolve coding queries and support data quality improvements.
• Mentor and support less experienced coders, strengthening team capability.

Main duties of the job

Clinical Coding is a unique department within NHS Hospitals supporting Business Intelligence and Finance teams within Hampshire Hospitals.

The Clinical Coding team work hard to provide an efficient, reliable, and effective service to the Trust in order to provide data on the Trust’s clinical activities, by abstracting information from various clinical documents and translating into diagnostic and procedure codes.

The post holder will be responsible for managing the volume of uncoded activity in assigned specialties against agreed deadlines. They will also be required to participate in coding audits and assist in the provision of high-quality information required by the Trust in a timely and accurate manner.

Working for our organisation

Our vision is to provide outstanding care for every patient. Patient care is at the heart of what we do at our three sites: Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester and Andover War Memorial Hospital. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides medical and surgical services to a population of approximately 600,000 people across Hampshire and parts of West Berkshire.

Our cultural ambition is to have a culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we all belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive.

We provide specialist services to people across the UK and internationally. We are one of only two centres in the UK treating pseudomyxoma peritonei (a rare form of abdominal cancer) and we are leaders in the field of tertiary liver cancer and colorectal cancer.

The trust employs more than 9,000 staff and has a turnover of over £500 million a year. As a Foundation Trust, we are directly accountable to our members through the governors. The Council of Governors represent the interests of their constituencies and influence the future plans of the Foundation Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We are a centralised coding team with coding offices on two sites. Coders can work on site full time or have the option to adopt a hybrid working approach, working part on site and part remotely.

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of medical terminology anatomical and physiological terms acquired through work based training
• Science (Biology preferably) GCSE Grade C or above; or equivalent knowledge
• Knowledge of coding procedures and conventions, including all specialties in an NHS Acute Hospital environment

Desirable criteria

• DesirabKnowledge of encoding systems e.g.Medicode le
• Knowledge of Patient Administration Systems

Experience and Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Analytical and judgemental skills so that you can deal with a broad range of complex activities and questions.
• Ability to give judgement when opinions are divided when coding complex cases or previously un-coded procedures
• Excellent communications skills including ability to relate to people at all levels within the organisation.
• Ability to understand, interpret and retain complex clinical written information
• Prioritise workload in line with personal and team targets.
• Excellent time management

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working in an acute hospital setting

Skills & Ability

Essential criteria

• Able to facilitate effective communication between multi-disciplinary teams and non-health care individuals
• High level of analytical and problem solving skills
• Able to assimilate and disseminate information
• Ability to work under pressure and to prioritise and organise workload to deal with competing demands whilst meeting challenging deadlines
• Able to frequently concentrate for prolonged periods
• Ability to deal effectively with frequent interruptions

Other Specific Requirements

Essential criteria

• Self-motivated with the ability to work under pressure and deliver to tight timescales
• Able to prioritise commitments

Desirable criteria

• Ability to motivate, train and develop others

Using AI in Your Application

We support the use of technology to help manage time and improve efficiency, but it is your responsibility to ensure your application is personalised and accurately reflects your own skills, experience and values.

AI tools can be useful when drafting an application, but they should only be used to assist you. The content submitted must be your own work and an authentic representation of your knowledge, abilities and experiences.

Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content may be rejected. For example, we may receive multiple applications containing identical or generic wording that does not reflect the individual applicant.

The use of AI during assessments, including interviews, is not permitted unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment. For virtual interviews, you may be asked to provide a 360-degree view of the room and confirm that no additional devices are being used. If AI use is suspected during an interview, we may pause the interview, ask questions regarding its use, or adapt our assessment approach.

Working in healthcare requires integrity, honesty and accountability. We expect all applications and assessments to be a genuine reflection of your own experience, knowledge and values.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in both the delivery of our services and the recruitment and management of our staff.

We welcome applications from everyone who has the skills, experience and values required for the role, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity.

Happy to Talk Flexible Working

We are committed to supporting flexible ways of working and will consider all requests for flexible and part-time working wherever service needs allow.

Important Information About Your Application

Recruitment Process

Applications are submitted through our recruitment system, Trac. Following submission, all correspondence relating to your application will be sent from apps.trac.jobs. Please regularly check your inbox, including your junk or spam folders.

Shortlisted candidates will normally be contacted at least five working days before their interview date.

Vacancy Closing Dates

This vacancy may close before the advertised closing date if sufficient applications are received. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as early as possible.

English Language Requirement

In line with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, all applicants must be able to communicate effectively in spoken and written English. This will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Keeping Patients Safe

At Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, patient safety is our highest priority. We recommend that staff are vaccinated against COVID-19 and understand that we continue to care for patients who are COVID-19 positive within our services.

Probationary Period

All new employees will be required to complete a six-month probationary period as part of their employment with the Trust.

Tackling Climate Change:

Hampshire Hospitals aims to embed sustainability and net zero carbon principles into the delivery of care across all its services. To find out more, search