Trainee Clinical Coder

The Trainee Clinical Coder is the entry level position for development into an ACC Qualified Clinical Coder. The Post holder will undertake the Clinical Coding Standards Course to become an ACC Clinical Coder. The post holder is responsible for extracting clinical information from the Medical record of care, either in paper format or from the electronic patient information systems. The post holder takes responsibility for their own professional development to obtain the necessary skills to progress through to professional accreditation status. They must apply clinical codes whilst adhering to required National standards, local policies and meet the monthly coding deadline. The post holder will engage with the internal coding audit programme and ensure that all audit recommendations are actioned.

This role provides you with the opportunity to study towards the National Clinical Coding Qualification (NCCQ) and become an Accredited Clinical Coder. Passing the NCCQ is required for career progression to the next band. We will support you by providing various training sessions in work time, but please be aware that there will be an expectation that you will allow time outside of work for study. NHS England recommend that 2-4 hours of study time per week is needed to adequately prepare for the NCCQ.

You will be asked to sit a 30min pre interview test consisting of basic anatomy & physiology and clinical terminology, effectively testing your aptitude to perform the role of a Clinical Coder

Main duties of the job

Undertakes the Clinical Coding Standards Course that is fundamental to this role.

Develops and maintain practical coding skills and theoretical knowledge relating to the use of the encoding schemes. This will require a range of formal internal and external specialist training.

Ensures that national and local policies that govern the use of the encoding schemes are followed and implemented throughout the department and to report instances where policies have not been followed.

Liaises with Trust staff in order to achieve the collection of complete and accurate data and works closely with department colleagues to ensure that departmental objectives and targets are achieved.

Organises own work in order to ensure that individual deadlines and objectives are met and organises own study schedule to follow on from the Clinical Coding Standards Course to work towards taking the National Clinical Coding Qualification.

Analyses and abstracts appropriate information from a range of information sources e.g. case notes, clinical systems, histopathology reports and accurately translates clinical information into a statistical code using the encoding schemes ICD-10 and OPCS 4.

Enters encoded data on to a computer system correctly. This will require the ability to be able to review a completed screen of data and identify errors such as incorrectly typed prefix, reversed characters, mistyped numerals etc.

As an organisation, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust offers employees a wide range of benefits including flexible working, NHS pension scheme, generous annual leave allowance and a commitment to career development.

You will be eligible for our Blue Light Card and a wide range of NHS exclusive shopping & leisure discounts.

We are proud of our skilled, diverse workforce and as an inclusive employer we welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Working in Somerset enables you to enjoy the idyllic countryside, areas of outstanding beauty and stunning coastlines whilst still only being a stone's throw away from bustling city centres like Bristol, Bath and Exeter and only two hours away from London.

There are excellent educational facilities in the area and, when compared to other regions, house prices are reasonable.

Somerset offers the countryside and the cosmopolitan -- there is truly something for everyone