Online Course | Foundations of Automation in Clinical Coding

Clinical coding

Thu 16 Jul 2026 09:00-15:30

Online Course, 5 CPD Hours

Build confidence in automation for clinical coding

Come together with your clinical coding peers from across the UK to build a clear understanding of automation in practice, including how Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can support coding workflows, improve efficiency and strengthen service resilience. Join Matthew Garner, Senior Information Analyst at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, as he shares practical insight from live NHS implementation.

Book your place to explore how automation can empower clinical coding teams to take greater control of coded workload, keep their own data within their NHS trust and use it in ways that delivers practical service benefits.

Coming soon: Advanced Automation in Clinical Coding, September 2026. Full details will be released shortly.

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Foundations of Automation in Clinical Coding

Online 5 CPD hours £249+VAT

Grow your understanding

5 hours Continuing Professional Development: what you will learn

Join this online workshop to develop a practical understanding of how automation can support clinical coding services, what makes a process suitable for automation, and how to take realistic first steps towards implementation. Key learning outcomes include:

Understanding where automation can support coding services and workflows in practice
Clarifying what Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is and why it matters
Identifying suitable candidates for automation using systems, data and local knowledge
Approaching implementation, validation and governance in a safe and realistic way
Building trust, control and consistency when introducing automation
Hearing practical lessons from Mersey and West Lancashire’s automation journey
Identifying realistic next steps to help your service begin exploring automation with confidence

Live online learning

Developed with convenience in mind

This interactive online workshop will equip you with the understanding, confidence and practical insight to begin exploring automation in your service. Throughout the day, you will have the opportunity to:

Join online to connect with clinical coding peers from across the UK
Take part in guided discussions on suitable candidates for automation, governance and implementation
Ask questions and gain practical guidance from Matthew Garner throughout the day
Leave with realistic next steps for applying learning in your own organisation

In-house training

9:00	Registration, technical support and networking opportunity
9:30	Introduction, instructions and course leader’s opening remarks Matthew Garner, Senior Information Analyst, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Understanding the automation landscape in clinical coding
9:40	Interactive check-in: Where is your service on the automation journey? Where does your organisation currently sit on the automation journey? What challenges or pressures in your service are prompting conversations about automation? What do you most want to understand or feel more confident about by the end of today?
9:50	Recognising where automation can support your coding service Exploring why automation is becoming more relevant for clinical coding teams Clarifying what RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is and demystifying the concept Identifying where automation can add value within coding workflows
10:20	Questions and answers with Matthew Garner
10:30	Interactive discussion: Identifying the opportunities and enablers in your setting What organisational factors could enable or support automation in your service? What tools, skills or support would help your team explore automation with confidence? What practical first step would feel most realistic for your service?
10:50	Feedback from interactive discussion: Identifying the opportunities and enablers in your setting
11:00	Screen break
Leveraging RPA in clinical coding to improve efficiency
11:10	Leveraging RPA for coding automation to increase efficiency Exploring what RPA is and how it works in coding workflows Identifying automation candidates using systems, data and local knowledge Keeping coding at the heart and ensuring technology supports rather than replaces coders
11:40	Questions and answers with Matthew Garner
11:50	Interactive discussion: Assessing suitable candidates for automation Which coding tasks could be most suitable for RPA in your service? What makes a process a good candidate for automation in practice? How can you keep coding judgment and data quality central when introducing automation?
12:10	Feedback from interactive discussion: Assessing suitable candidates for automation
12:20	Lunch break
Planning implementation, governance and roll-out
12:50	RPA implementation, governance and practical first steps Understanding how to implement, validate, improve and implement again Exploring governance, approval and information governance in practice Identifying practical first steps to embed automation into the coding service
1:20	Questions and answers with Matthew Garner
1:30	Interactive discussion: Identifying solutions for successful implementation How would you approach implementing and validating an RPA process in your service? How do you validate an RPA process, and what risks should governance cover? What support, governance or collaboration would help your team move forward successfully?
1:50	Feedback from interactive discussion: Identifying solutions for successful implementation
2:00	Screen break
Learning from real-world implementation
2:10	Practical lessons from live automation at Mersey and West Lancashire (MWL) Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Exploring how MWL has used automation to respond to workload and workforce pressures Practical lessons learned: embedding automation into coding workflows Helping you identify realistic next steps for your own organisation
2:40	Questions and answers with Matthew Garner
2:50	Interactive discussion: Turning learning into action: practical next steps What are your three main takeaways from today’s workshop? What is the most realistic next step for your service after today? How will you use today’s learning to strengthen confidence and progress in your own team?
3:10	Feedback from interactive discussion: Turning learning into action: practical next steps
3:20	Course leader’s closing remarks
3:30	Close of day

Your expert workshop leader:

Matthew brings real-world NHS experience of using automation in clinical coding, with practical insight into how to introduce it safely in a live service. Previous attendees praised his clear, approachable style and described his sessions as “very informative with plenty of examples and explained in simple ways”. For teams at an early stage of exploring automation, this workshop offers a practical and reassuring introduction to what is possible and what first steps could look like in your own service.

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.

Pricing Structure

£249+VAT for one NHS or Public Sector place
Commercial companies are also invited to sponsor this day. Please email Vanessa Pearce for further details.

Stretch your NHS training budget further

To help you maximise your budget, we offer NHS group discounts that can be applied across one or multiple events.
If you’re interested in making a group booking, or in booking both the Foundations and Advanced workshops, please email Nichola Cadwallader or call Nichola on 01732 897788 to discuss the best options for your team.

This course is available for in-house training

Available as a bespoke course to teams of 25 people or more. Please do contact us if you would like this training delivered exclusively to your team, with the content developed to drill into the specific needs of your service. Please email Sarah Kemm or call 01732 897788 for further details.

Reservations

You can reserve a no-obligation place whilst you apply for funding

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 training 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 course.

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. If you would like to attend a zoom practice session before the event takes place, please let us know by emailing bookings@sbk-healthcare.co.uk. You will have the opportunity to meet an SBK Healthcare staff member who will ensure you are able to access zoom, that your camera and microphone work and you are fully set-up for the day. This is optional but if you do wish to attend, please use the same device that you plan to use on the day.

On the day, when registration starts, you will be able to join the course by initially entering a waiting room when there may be a short wait. 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 online workshop is designed for teams at an early stage of exploring automation in clinical coding. This includes but is not limited to:

Head and Deputy Head of Clinical Coding
Clinical Coding Managers, Service Managers and Team Leads
Senior Clinical Coding Analysts and Clinical Coding Trainers
Clinical Coding Auditors
Digital Transformation Leads

If you have a team that is 25 people or more, you can have a bespoke course delivered online to your team alone. Please contact Sarah Kemm or telephone 01732 897788.

Past attendee feedback

“Matthew's enthusiasm is infectious - really knowledgeable and so eager to share this knowledge which is a rarity these days!”
Automation Masterclass for Clinical Coders, November, 2025

“Matthew is very passionate about the topic and that is evident in the way he speaks about it. He is very engaging”
Automation Masterclass for Clinical Coders, November, 2025

“This event was incredibly valuable. I gained and shares insights to potential innovations to support our profession and found reassurance that my counterparts are in the same situation and facing the same challenges”
National Clinical Coding Roadmap, April, 2025

“Great to network and interesting to hear what other Trusts are doing in terms of automated coding/AI”
National Clinical Coding Roadmap, April, 2025

“Matthew’s presentation was excellent and very informative”
National Clinical Coding Roadmap, April 2025

“Informative, interesting, addressing a lot of contemporary issues and a great chance to talk to others”
Clinical Coding Roadmap 2024, June, 2024

“It’s been a very useful and informative day and taken lots of information away to use within our Trust services”
Clinical Coding Roadmap 2024, June, 2024

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 trail-blazing NHS delivery forums offer dedicated presentations, Q&A, networking and discussion time, each sponsor will be fully 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.

Foundations of Automation in Clinical Coding