Clinical Coding

The coding workstream focuses on the accuracy of coding and supports trusts to create specialty-specific methodology to improve the accuracy of coding. A key aim is to increase collaboration between clinical teams and coders by including coders in multidisciplinary team meetings where appropriate. The workstream works closely with clinical associations and NHS Digital, helping to identify and share good practice among coding departments, and providing materials to support coding service provision.

The current focus of the GIRFT clinical coding project is to advise on how the GIRFT project uses and reports on clinical coding, as well as supporting the design of clinical activity groups for consultant level reporting in the National Clinical Improvement Programme (NCIP).

Andy Wheeler

Head of GIRFT Clinical Coding

Career biography

Andy started in clinical coding in 1995, the year that ICD10 was introduced in England. He was trained at Barts and The London NHS Trust in a wide range of specialties and stayed there until leaving to take up the role of Coding Manager at the Royal Free Hospital. For fifteen years Andy has been Head of Clinical Coding at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) and for the last three years has been seconded into the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) project as Coding Lead. Andy also works on behalf of the RNOH for the National Orthopaedic Alliance (NOA) as the NOA coding lead.

Andy has broad experience in coding including the development of clinical datasets at RNOH which uses its own procedures code schedule for waiting list and activity management. Andy was also involved in the initial development of the spinal cord injuries costing package design project on behalf of the RNOH Spinal Cord Injuries Unit.

Sue Eve-Jones

Joint Coding Lead

A specialist in clinical classifications and coding with over 30 years of experience.

Sue’s expertise includes training, audit, standard setting, classification authoring, mapping, organisational change, mortality data review, data analysis and research. She has worked at hospital, regional and national level and in the commercial sector in the UK and overseas.

NHS roles have included Head of Clinical Coding and Data Quality at the Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Head of Clinical Coding at the East and North Herts NHS Trust and currently Head of Clinical Coding at Dorset County Hospital.