Job summary
- Main area
- Clinical Coding
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 5
- Contract
- Fixed term: 1 year (Maternity cover)
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Home or remote working
- Compressed hours
- Job ref
- 249-8177920
- Employer
- Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Great Western Hospital
- Town
- Swindon
- Salary
- £32,073 - £39,043 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 16/09/2026 23:59
Employer heading
ACC Senior Clinical Coder
NHS AfC: Band 5
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital.
Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.
We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.
Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used, then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.
If we receive a high volume of applications, we may close adverts prior to the published closing date. Therefore, we advise you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.
Job overview
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.
Working for our organisation
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.
Detailed job description and main 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 criteria
- NCCQ Accreditation (ACC)
- Clinical Coding Standards Refresher training certification within last 3 years
- Degree or equivalent training and experience
Desirable criteria
- Anatomy & Physiology or Human biology qualification
- Attendance at NHS Digital approved clinical coding workshops or specialty courses
Experience
Essential criteria
- 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
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sian Thomas
- Job title
- Head of Clinical Coding
- Email address
- [email protected]
List jobs with Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Administrative Services or all sectors