Job summary
We are rapidly expanding, currently seeking an Trainee Clinical Coder to join our growing and innovative team at an acute hospital within the NHS. This is an exciting new post in our cohesive and established team. We are seeking a confident and passionate individual who thrives on change and wants to make a difference to the outcomes of our patients and staff. Detailed working knowledge of the Dorset health and care system is desirable, however not essential.
The successful candidate will be enrolled into the apprenticeship programme that will include a clinical coding standards course. Upon completion of the programme there will be an expectation to undertake further training towards achieving clinical coding accreditation.
Main duties of the job
The Clinical Coding Team is responsible for the extraction and translation of inpatient information using the ICD-10 and OPCS-4 Coding Classifications, following and in keeping with the well-defined national coding standards. This information is essential for the effective management of the Trust and crucial to the National tariff Payment System that underpins Trust income. Coded data is also important for clinical audit, governance and research.
As an Trainee Clinical Coder, you will learn how to make judgements on clinical information requiring interpretation and compare options from information provided electronically and in paper-based health records. Clinical Coders have a crucial role in the provision of mandatory data for information, financial and reporting purposes both at local and national level. The post holder will be expected to work towards becoming a Accredited Clinical Coder (ACC) through completion of the National Clinical Coding Qualification. As part of the role of the post-holder is expected to interact with clinicians, operational staff and have responsibility for own workload whilst maintaining accurate clinical coding quality.
About us
At Dorset County Hospital (DCH) we aspire to providing outstanding care for people in ways which matter to them. Our trust strategy is focussed on three strategic goals: People, Place, and Partnership. It signals our intention to truly value our staff. Our people are our most important asset, and we want them to feel valued, welcomed, respected, they belong and matter. We recognise the link between high levels of staff satisfaction and improving patient experience and outcomes.
We are a Trust that celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Dorset County Hospital has a number of employees from overseas delivering high quality services and we recognise the value of diversity in leadership. We would welcome applications from people in groups which are under-represented at Board level.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For further information on the role please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For further information on the role please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification.
Person Specification
EDUCATION, QUALIFICATIONS & TRAINING
Essential
- GCSE maths and English (or equivalent evidence of numeracy and literacy).
Desirable
- Understanding the purpose of clinical coding and knowledge of the processes involved.
KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Knowledge of human anatomy and physiology and medical terminologies
- Knowledge of clinical coding rules and conventions.
- Experience of working to targets and key performance indicators (KPIs).
Desirable
- An understanding of the information flows in the NHS.
- Experience of working with clinicians to improve data quality.
- Experience of working to challenging and tight deadlines, both individually and as a team.
- Use of patient administration systems and associated clinical coding applications / encoder systems.
- Experience of using both paper records and electronic records to extract clinical information for the purpose of clinical coding.
SKILLS & ABILITIES
Essential
- Good organisational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to communicate and cooperate with other members of staff in a professional and effective manner .
- Ability to work to strict deadlines within defined policies and procedures.
- Ability to apply national standards and local coding policies across a wide range of specialities and coding scenarios.
- Able to maintain a working knowledge of local policies and national standards as they change and/or develop.
- Excellent communication skills, with an ability to relay coding information to other clinical coding, operational staff and clinicians.
- Be confident in the use of clinical IT systems and interrogating electronic patient records to abstract information for clinical coding.
- Be confident in the use of clinical IT systems and interrogating electronic patient records to abstract information for clinical coding.
Desirable
- Ability to work to strict deadlines within defined policies and procedures.
- Ability to self -motivate and to make appropriate judgments about when to seek guidance.
- Problem solving skills and an ability to practically apply clinical codes to coding scenarios
- Ability to work to demanding timescales and at times changing deadlines.
- Work efficiently as an individual and as part of a team.
- Able to work flexibly across teams and specialities within the department.
Person Specification
EDUCATION, QUALIFICATIONS & TRAINING
Essential
- GCSE maths and English (or equivalent evidence of numeracy and literacy).
Desirable
- Understanding the purpose of clinical coding and knowledge of the processes involved.
KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Knowledge of human anatomy and physiology and medical terminologies
- Knowledge of clinical coding rules and conventions.
- Experience of working to targets and key performance indicators (KPIs).
Desirable
- An understanding of the information flows in the NHS.
- Experience of working with clinicians to improve data quality.
- Experience of working to challenging and tight deadlines, both individually and as a team.
- Use of patient administration systems and associated clinical coding applications / encoder systems.
- Experience of using both paper records and electronic records to extract clinical information for the purpose of clinical coding.
SKILLS & ABILITIES
Essential
- Good organisational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to communicate and cooperate with other members of staff in a professional and effective manner .
- Ability to work to strict deadlines within defined policies and procedures.
- Ability to apply national standards and local coding policies across a wide range of specialities and coding scenarios.
- Able to maintain a working knowledge of local policies and national standards as they change and/or develop.
- Excellent communication skills, with an ability to relay coding information to other clinical coding, operational staff and clinicians.
- Be confident in the use of clinical IT systems and interrogating electronic patient records to abstract information for clinical coding.
- Be confident in the use of clinical IT systems and interrogating electronic patient records to abstract information for clinical coding.
Desirable
- Ability to work to strict deadlines within defined policies and procedures.
- Ability to self -motivate and to make appropriate judgments about when to seek guidance.
- Problem solving skills and an ability to practically apply clinical codes to coding scenarios
- Ability to work to demanding timescales and at times changing deadlines.
- Work efficiently as an individual and as part of a team.
- Able to work flexibly across teams and specialities within the department.
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.
