Head of Clinical Coding Operations

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Head of Clinical Coding Operations

The closing date is 27 September 2026

This is an exceptional opportunity to join University Hospitals Dorset at a pivotal time in the development of our Clinical Coding and Health Information Management Service.

We are transforming Clinical Coding into a modern, clinically engaged and strategically important function, supported by strong executive sponsorship, investment and a clear vision for the future. As part of this transformation, we are expanding coding services, strengthening clinical engagement, developing new career pathways and exploring the adoption of AI support.

As Head of Clinical Coding Operations, you will provide senior operational leadership for the Trust's Clinical Coding Service, with responsibility for performance, quality, workforce leadership and service delivery across inpatient, outpatient and emergency department activity.

Working closely with clinicians, operational, finance and digital teams, you will drive improvements in clinical documentation and operational performance. You will lead a workforce, deliver sustainable service improvement and support the continued development of Clinical Coding within a wider Health Information Management model.

We are seeking an experienced, qualified Clinical Coding professional with a proven track record of leadership, service improvement and partnership working within complex healthcare organisations.

If you are looking for a role where you can influence strategy, lead change and make a lasting impact, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

As Head of Clinical Coding Operations, you will provide senior operational leadership for Clinical Coding services across University Hospitals Dorset, ensuring the delivery of accurate, timely and high-quality coded data that supports patient care, organisational performance and income assurance.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the operational delivery of Clinical Coding services across inpatient, outpatient and emergency department activity.
• Managing and developing a high-performing workforce through effective leadership, workforce planning, performance management and staff development.
• Driving improvements in coding quality, productivity, timeliness and backlog reduction, ensuring compliance with national standards and local requirements.
• Working closely with clinicians, operational teams and corporate colleagues to improve clinical documentation and strengthen clinical engagement.
• Leading service transformation, including the expansion of outpatient and emergency department coding and the development of Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) approaches.
• Supporting coding assurance and quality improvement in partnership with the Health Information Management Data Assurance team.
• Supporting digital innovation and the safe adoption of AI-enabled technologies while ensuring readiness for future national developments, including ICD-11

About us

The Health Information Management Service at University Hospitals Dorset brings together Clinical Coding, Data Quality and wider information management functions within a single service, creating opportunities for collaboration, innovation and professional development.

We are committed to creating a positive and supportive working environment where colleagues are encouraged to contribute ideas, challenge constructively and help shape service development. We place a strong emphasis on teamwork, visibility, professional standards and building effective relationships with clinicians and corporate colleagues.

As a senior leader within the service, you will work alongside an experienced management team helping to drive service improvement, strengthen clinical engagement and support the future development of Clinical Coding and Health Information Management services.

UHD are investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently.

UHD has active networks including Women's, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces.

We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.

AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process.

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

For further insight into this role, please view the recruitment brochure.

We are pleased to offer a £6,000 attraction incentive payment for this role, with full details confirmed in line with Trust processes.

Relocation expenses will be considered for this role in line with Trust policies and subject to internal review.

Base Location: University Hospitals Dorset with cross site and hybrid working Interview Date: 5th October 2026

Person Specification Qualifications

• oNational Clinical Coding Qualification (NCCQ)
• oEvidence of ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in clinical coding, education, or assurance.
• oClinical Coding Auditor or Trainer qualification.
• oPostgraduate qualification or formal training in leadership, management, or service improvement.

Experience

• oExtensive post-qualification experience in clinical coding within the NHS, covering inpatient activity and including exposure to outpatient
• oSignificant experience of operationally managing and leading a Clinical Coding service, including direct responsibility for senior staff or managers.
• oExperience of managing and deploying workforce resources to meet competing service demands.
• oExperience of mortality coding assurance or mortality review processes.
• oProven experience of working closely with senior clinicians, care group leadership, and corporate teams to address documentation quality, coding performance, and operational issues.
• oExperience of implementing or supporting digital (EPR) or AI-enabled solutions within clinical coding or health information management services.
• oExperience of working across multiple sites within a large or complex NHS organisation.
• oExperience of contributing to national benchmarking or improvement programmes (e.g. GIRFT, HED).

Skills

• oAdvanced operational understanding of national clinical coding standards and classifications (ICD-10, OPCS-4)
• oConfident user of clinical coding systems, encoder software, and operational performance dashboards.
• oAbility to oversee and assure coding quality, accuracy, and productivity across multiple coding domains.
• oHighly developed analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex performance, quality, and assurance data and translate insight into operational action.
• oAwareness of AI-enabled clinical coding tools and their workforce and training implications.
• oExperience of supporting coding quality improvement or optimisation initiatives.
• oExperience of using benchmarking or assurance outputs to drive service improvement.
• oAwareness of ICD-11 developments and implications for operational delivery.

Knowledge

• oExpert knowledge and application of ICD-10, OPCS-4, and National Clinical Coding Standards and datasets.
• oIn-depth understanding of the role of clinical coding within the NHS and its impact on patient safety, governance, reporting, benchmarking, and organisational assurance.
• oProven knowledge and understanding of the impact of clinical coding on the NHS financial regime, including financial flows, income assurance, and operational risk.
• oAwareness of national clinical coding development programmes and future classification changes.
• oAwareness of national benchmarking, mortality review, and assurance programmes (e.g. GIRFT, HED, mortality coding frameworks).
• oUnderstanding of ED/A&E coding requirements and standards

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.

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

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University Hospital Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospital Dorset NHS Foundation Trust