Clinical coding
Thu 10 Dec 2026 09:00-16:30
Online Forum, 5 CPD Hours

Do you want to know where to start with AI and automation in clinical coding - and what implementation realistically involves?

This national networking forum will bring clinical coders together from across the NHS to benchmark your understanding and discover how other services are putting AI and automation into practice. This unique day will equip you with a clearer understanding of what is achievable, where your team could begin and the practical next steps to take.

Through real-life case studies, expert presentations and interactive discussions, this is an excellent opportunity to explore the use of rules-based automation, generative AI and AI-assisted coding workflows, and identify what successful implementation requires. Hear how coder oversight, clinician validation and better EPR documentation can improve coding accuracy, data quality and productivity while supporting future AI.

Also available: Advanced Automation in Clinical Coding

Sponsored by CHKS   

Book Place Reserve Place
Clinical Coding and AI National Networking Forum
Online 5 CPD hours From £199+VAT

Prepare your service

AI and automation in clinical coding: what implementation really involves

Through practical case studies, you will explore the decisions, resources and collaboration needed to move from interest to implementation. Key learning outcomes include:

  • Identifying where your service could start and which coding processes may be suitable for automation
  • Understanding how rules-based automation, generative AI and AI-assisted coding workflows are being developed and used
  • Exploring the costs, timescales and input required from coding, BI and digital teams
  • Building coder involvement and human oversight into AI and automation from the outset
  • Strengthening clinician engagement and validation to improve documentation, coding accuracy and data quality
  • Designing EPR documentation that supports coding productivity and future AI
  • Learning how services are sustaining AI-enabled coding through collaboration and workforce development
  • Sharing approaches to maintaining coding quality and capacity under pressure

Network and share experience

Learn how other clinical coding services are approaching AI and automation

Step away from your day-to-day pressures to compare experiences, discuss shared challenges and connect with clinical coding colleagues from across the NHS. By attending, you will:

  • Compare how other services are approaching AI and automation and deciding where to start 
  • Discuss pressures around workloads, backlogs, deadlines and maintaining coding quality 
  • Share experiences of working with clinicians, BI and digital colleagues to support change 
  • Build useful connections and identify practical next steps for your own service

With thanks to our sponsor

SBK Healthcare would like to thank CHKS for sponsoring this educational forum. 

Invitation to sponsor

This is a great opportunity for an industry partner to share insights into their product or service. For further information please contact vanessa.jarman@sbk-healthcare.co.uk

9:00
Registration and networking opportunity
9:30
Introduction, instructions and chair’s opening remarks
Sue Eve-Jones, Clinical Coding Specialist, Trainer and Auditor
Preparing for clinical coding automation
9:40
What does the evidence tell us about automated clinical coding?
  • Reviewing the current research: from machine learning to generative AI
  • Identifying which coding processes and workloads may be most suitable for automation
  • Exploring what current capabilities and limitations mean for clinical coders
Emily O’Brien, Healthcare Data Scientist, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
10:10
Questions and answers with your speaker
10:20
Interactive discussion: What is driving your interest in AI and automation?
  • What prompted your organisation or coding service to start exploring AI and automation?
  • What challenges do you think it will help with and what problems do you think it might cause?
  • What would you most like AI or automation to help your service achieve?
10:40
Feedback from interactive discussion: What is driving your interest in AI and automation?
10:50
Sponsored presentation delivered by CHKS
11:10
Sponsored presentation opportunity
  • If you are interested in sponsoring and giving this presentation, please contact vanessa.jarman@sbk-healthcare.co.uk
11:30
Screen break
AI and automation in practice
11:40
Case study: How Mersey and West Lancashire is combining rules-based automation and generative AI
  • Developing and implementing a live rules-based coding bot for endoscopy coding
  • Using Copilot to turn variable histology reports into structured information
  • Exploring future applications of generative AI across clinical coding
Matthew Garner, Senior Information Analyst, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
12:20
Questions and answers with your speaker
12:30
Lunch break
1:00
Case study: Taking AI-assisted clinical coding from pilot to practice
  • Sharing the experience of piloting AI-assisted clinical coding and scaling its use across the coding team
  • Preparing and supporting coders to adapt their skills, thinking and workflows while maintaining coding quality and professional judgement
  • Developing the processes, training and governance needed to embed AI safely and sustainably
1:40
Questions and answers with your speaker
Clinician collaboration and documentation
1:50
Case study: Building a clinician validation programme to improve coding, data and income
  • Exploring practical ways to engage clinicians in reviewing complex or unclear cases
  • Sharing knowledge in both directions to identify documentation gaps and improve coding accuracy
  • Demonstrating how high-quality clinical documentation supports data quality, reporting and appropriate income
Alicja Dziadul-Blaszczyk, Deputy Head of Clinical Coding, The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
2:30
Questions and answers with your speaker
2:40
Screen break
2:50
Getting the EPR foundations right for AI-assisted clinical coding
  • Giving clinical coders a voice in EPR design to ensure templates and documentation meet coding needs
  • Getting terminology, reference data and mappings correct within the EPR to strengthen coding accuracy
  • Sharing challenges and lessons learned: what needs to be right now to support future coding automation
Viji Dhasarathan, Classifications & Terminology EPR Implementation Specialist, University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group
3:30
Questions and answers with your speaker
3:40
Interactive discussion: Maintaining coding quality and capacity under pressure
  • What is creating the greatest pressure on coding quality and capacity within your service?
  • How are you managing workloads, backlogs and deadlines without compromising coding, data and documentation quality?
  • What solutions have you found to your challenges, or what solutions are you considering implementing?
4:00
Feedback from interactive discussion: Maintaining coding quality and capacity under pressure
4:10
Interactive closing: Turning learning into action
  • Respond to the Slido prompt on screen to share your key takeaway, your next step and what you would still like to learn
4:20
Chair’s closing remarks
4:30
Close of conference

Your questions answered

Hear from experienced clinical coding professionals

Bringing together NHS clinical coding leaders, automation leads and teams developing AI-enabled approaches, this national forum offers first-hand insight into what is working, what implementation involves and how services are preparing for the future. 

Confirmed speakers

Sue Eve-Jones
Job Title:
Clinical Coding Specialist, Trainer and Auditor
Organisation
Biography

Sue is a specialist with over 35 years of experience in 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 and Head of Clinical Coding at the East and North Herts NHS Trust and Dorset County Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Sue is currently a Clinical Coding Lead for GIRFT, works with Jigsaw Medical and is an independent coding specialist, trainer and auditor.
Emily O’Brien
Job Title:
Healthcare Data Scientist
Organisation
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Biography

Emily is an experienced Data Scientist with a background in mathematics, who has successfully built and delivered statistical analysis and automated systems in the retail, public and currently the healthcare sector.  In her first Data Science role, she successfully developed and implemented a stock forecasting algorithm for a national retailer, which generated an additional £12 million in sales in its first year through increased stock availability, particularly on seasonal items. She has also worked as part of a team developing a web scraping code base to create a large dataset of current price data to feed into the Office for National Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI) and other key economic statics.  In her current role as a Healthcare Data Scientist at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, she regularly conducts statistical analysis and helps solve various data related questions through building digital models to simulate hospital flow and help decision makers. It is through this role that she has begun a part-time PhD project on using AI and machine learning to automate clinical coding within the NHS, with plans to train models on existing pre-coded NHS datasets to help clinical coding teams reduce their coding backlogs.
Matthew Garner
Job Title:
Senior Information Analyst
Organisation
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Biography

Matthew Garner has over 15 years of experience within the NHS, having contributed to a variety of departments, including Medical Records, Patient Access, Endoscopy Scheduling, Clinical Coding, and Business Intelligence and Performance. In his current role as a Senior Information Analyst at Mersey and West Lancashire NHS Trust, Matthew leverages his strong foundation as a nationally qualified clinical coder to deliver data-driven insights and solutions. Matthew is also an RPA Developer and Solution Designer, leading innovative automation projects, with a primary focus on creating and implementing automated clinical coding solutions that enhance efficiency and accuracy. His expertise and dedication to modernizing NHS processes continue to generate groundbreaking approaches that bring substantial benefits.
Alicja Dziadul-Blaszczyk
Job Title:
Deputy Head of Clinical Coding
Organisation
The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
Biography
Viji Dhasarathan
Job Title:
Classifications & Terminology EPR Implementation Specialist
Organisation
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group
Biography

Call for speakers

If you would like to give a presentation and share your work or the work of your service at this online forum, we would be delighted to hear from you.

To discuss speaking opportunities, please email the conference producer, Mariana Mason or call Mariana on 01732 897788.

Pricing structure

  • Early bird: £199 + VAT for NHS and Public Sector bookings made before 9th October 
  • £249 + VAT (each) for NHS or public sector place when booked after 9th October
  • Commercial companies are invited to sponsor this day, please email Vanessa Jarman for further details

Reservations

If your funding has not yet been secured or you would like to hold your place with no obligation, you can reserve your place with us. Please email the reservations team at SBK Healthcare with your details:

  • Booking contact: name, job title, department, email and telephone number
  • Event(s) to reserve for: title and date
  • Delegate details (for each delegate): name, job title, department, email and telephone number
  • Organisation details: name and address

Alternatively you can make a confirmed booking by emailing the above information to the bookings team 

How this online forum will work

Once you have booked your place, SBK Healthcare will correspond with you using the email address you provided at the time of booking. Within one week of the online conference taking place, you will be sent final details of the course including a full agenda, programme timings and your Zoom joining instructions. This email will include a joining link that can be used to access the conference.

If you have not received your email two days before your event, do check your junk folder then contact SBK Healthcare on 01732 897788.

Practice sessions are available and you will be sent an invitation to join one of our delegate practice sessions. These are optional but great if you are unsure of whether your camera and microphone will work on Zoom. We hold several one hour practice sessions across the week when a member of SBK Healthcare staff will be waiting in Zoom to assist you. Please do pop in, say hello and make sure you are all set for the day.

On the day, when registration starts, you will be able to join the conference by initially entering a waiting room when there may be a short wait. When you are automatically brought back into the conference room for the start of the conference, you will be asked to turn off your camera and microphone so that the chair can start the forum. During each presentation you will be able to ask questions in the chat box function. The forum will include screen breaks, as well as topic themed interactive sessions which will take place in the breakout rooms.

Click here to view the specially created 5-minute video that will walk you through how to get the most out of attending your SBK Healthcare interactive online forum.

Terms and conditions

Certification of attendance

A certificate for Continuing Professional Development will be given to every fully registered participant who completes the course, as a record of your continuing professional training and development.

Registration fees

You will be sent an instant payment option or invoice on registration. Your payment is required in advance. If your fee has not been received prior to the event, and you are not able to provide a PO or proof of payment, you will be asked to make a credit or debit card payment on the day.

Modify registration

To let us know if your details are not correct when you have already registered, please email the bookings team.

Cancellations and substitutions

A full refund of fees will be made only for cancellations received within the first 48 hours of the booking being made. Notice of cancellation must be received in writing by emailing the bookings team at SBK Healthcare. Should you need to cancel your registration after this date, the registration fee remains payable in its entirety although a substitution will be accepted and conference documentation will be provided. Substitution attendees for delegates unable to attend after registering are acceptable at any time.

Event changes

It may be necessary for reasons beyond the control of the conference organisers to alter the content, speakers or the timing of the programme. We will endeavour to keep you abreast of such changes but any unavoidable change to the format will not constitute a reason to refund the fee. Should the event be postponed, we will endeavour to reschedule the event. If, for reasons beyond the control of the conference organiser, the event is cancelled, a full refund will be made. We do not accept any liability for any incurred costs resulting from a postponement or cancellation.

Privacy notice

To view the details on how your data is being collected and used, please view our Privacy policy

Expected attendees

This national online forum is ideal for professionals working across clinical coding, data quality and service improvement who want to understand how AI and automation can be introduced safely and practically. Book your place and join colleagues including:

  • Heads, Deputy Heads and Group Leads of Clinical Coding 
  • Clinical Coding Managers, Service Managers and Operational Leads 
  • Senior Clinical Coders, Team Leaders and Supervisors 
  • Accredited Clinical Coders and Coding Specialists 
  • Clinical Coding Auditors, Trainers and Quality Assurance Leads 
  • Data Quality, Information, BI, Analytics and Informatics Professionals 
  • EPR, Digital Development and Automation colleagues supporting clinical coding services

Past attendee feedback

For more than a decade, SBK Healthcare has been bringing clinical coding professionals together at national events for timely updates, practical insight and open discussion around the issues affecting services. Discover what delegates have taken from past events, from fresh ideas they can apply within their own teams to reassurance that other services are facing many of the same challenges:

“All presentations were interesting and I enjoyed learning about how AI has been implemented in Trusts without excluding the clinical coders.”

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, National Clinical Coding Roadmap 2026, June 2026

“Interesting and good opportunity to network with other Trusts facing similar issues.”

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, National Clinical Coding Roadmap 2026, June 2026

“All presentations were relevant and I took something away from them all.”

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, National Clinical Coding Roadmap 2026, June 2026

“Informative and interesting. Clarification that everyone is in a similar position.”

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, National Clinical Coding Roadmap 2026, June 2026

“Incredibly valuable - reassuring to share insights and see others facing similar challenges.”

Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, National Clinical Coding Roadmap, April, 2025

“I gained a good insight into the future of clinical coding and the challenges ahead.”

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group, National Clinical Coding Roadmap, April, 2025

“I really enjoyed networking and sharing ideas and challenges with the coding community.”

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, National Clinical Coding Roadmap, April, 2025

“It’s been a very useful and informative day and taken lots of information away to use within our Trust services.”

The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, Clinical Coding Roadmap 2024, June, 2024

“Informative, interesting, addressing contemporary issues and a great chance to talk to others.”

Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, Clinical Coding Roadmap 2024, June, 2024

“Really useful information and an insight into the future.”

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Clinical Coding Roadmap 2024, June, 2024

“Very well-organised event. Good speakers. Lots of information and knowledge to take home.”

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Clinical Coding Roadmap 2024, June, 2024

“Fantastic to see clinicians working so closely with their coding teams and demonstrating a real understanding of the importance of what we do.”

MFT, Clinical Coding: Meet the Clinicians, March 2023

“I felt like the importance of my job was actually being recognised, which is rare.”

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, Clinical Coding: Meet the Clinicians, March 2023

“I found it very engaging and interesting. I love getting to discuss our niche topics with others around the country.”

Northumbria NHS Foundation Trust, Clinical Coding: Meet the Clinicians, March 2023

“Really well organised event, and interesting and varied content. Thoroughly enjoyed the day.”

Hull University Teaching Hospitals, Clinical Coding: Meet the Clinicians, March 2022

“Clinician presentations were all excellent, really interesting and relevant.”

GIRFT, Clinical Coding: Meet the Clinicians, March 2022

“Please don't stop the invaluable engagement you provide to the coders.”

Barts Health NHS Trust, Clinical Coding: Meet the Clinicians, March 2022

View further comments on SBK Healthcare events on Trust Pilot.

CHKS are the UK's largest independent provider of healthcare clinical coding services, offering AI and remote coding, training, and support. Our focus is delivering accurate, scalable and efficient coding for excellent data quality and reliable, timely results.

Why sponsor?

Our role at SBK Healthcare is to bring industry together with healthcare professionals so that you can educate and inform your audience. These events offering dedicated presentation, Q&A, networking and discussion time, each sponsor will be full immersed into the event and able to effectively engage with your NHS audience.

Your event, managed by us

SBK Healthcare also provides in-house forums. Working closely with you as the client we can research, produce, market and deliver the conference or online forum that best suits the audience and meets your goals.

Reach out today

If you would like more information on our sponsorship options an in-house forum or if you wish to discuss your needs and what solutions may be appropriate for your business, please contact: 

Vanessa Jarman 
Contact: 01732 897788 
Email: vanessa.jarman@sbk-healthcare.co.uk