Do you enjoy problem solving; have an eye for detail and an interest in medical Terminology? Are you self-motivated, keen to learn and enjoy a challenge?

Mid Cheshire Hospital have an exciting opportunity for two Trainee Clinical Coders to join our expanding team. This is a two-year training programme where f ull training and support will be provided to the successful candidate with the appropriate skills and knowledge. Successful candidates at the end of their training programme will be supported in sitting the National Clinical Coding Qualification (NCCQ) with the opportunity to further progression within the department.

You will benefit from a detailed personalised training plan to ensure that you maintain high standards of clinical coding quality. You will attend a 21 day Coding standards course over a 3 month period and will be asked to achieve coding objectives within the set timeframe. The Clinical Coding Services Department is dedicated to personal staff development as well as looking into the future of what clinical coding has to offer. As a Trainee Clinical Coder, you must be willing to study to gain clinical coding experience in a number of specialties and work towards obtaining your ACC accreditation. Following the 21 day training course you will be required to demonstrate the current correct application of the rules and conventions of clinical coding, supplemented with a good understanding of medical terminology, clinical terms and anatomy.

1. The post holder’s key responsibility is to abstract complex clinical information from the patient’s health record on discharge and translate the medical terminology into alpha- numerical codes using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10) for diagnoses, and the OPCS Classification of interventions and procedures in compliance with national clinical coding standards and guidelines.

2. Clinical coders must accurately extract relevant information from the source documents and assign codes: all codes assigned must represent an accurate translation of the diagnostic statement/terminology made by the clinician. The codes should contribute to an accurate picture of the patient’s current care. This will include family history and comorbidities.

3. It is the post holder’s responsibility to confirm diagnoses with histology reports, initiating queries with clinicians, ward staff and medical secretaires when required.

4. The extracted information is matched with ICD 10 and OPCS 4 coding conventions, both classifications have an alphabetic index and tabular book. The clinical coder must follow the 4-step coding process to accurately map and assign the correct code assignment.

All trainee coders must apply coding within the set deadlines to derive complete and accurate clinical coding to support ‘Payment by Results’, with the assistance from ACC Clinical Coders and Team Leaders, in line with departments procedure document.

Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides a full range of hospital and community services for people across East Cheshire (population 399K) and West Cheshire and Chester (population 357K). The Trust provides high quality planned and emergency care, cardiac, critical care, child health, maternity services and intermediate care at Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Victoria Infirmary in Northwich, and Elmhurst Intermediate Care Centre in Winsford.

The Trust provides over 500 beds and employs over 5,100 members of staff. A comprehensive range of community services is provided across 26 medical centres and schools through our Central Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership.

We have played, and continue to play, a proactive role in the development of Integrated Care plans across Cheshire & Merseyside and our local Cheshire East and Cheshire West Place-based systems. We believe, and it is the cornerstone of our five-year Trust Strategy, there is the opportunity to progress innovative, responsive and effective care in the best setting for the patient, be it in the hospital or out in the community.

At Mid Cheshire, our mission is to inspire hope and provide unparalleled care for the people and communities of Cheshire, helping them to enjoy life to the fullest.

We welcome all applicants and assess all job applications based on knowledge, skills and experience needed for the post.

Please see the Job Description and Person Specification for the Main Responsibilities of the Vacancy