Introduction
ISD Terminology Services provides support and guidance in the use of clinical classifications, coding and terminology to NHS Scotland and its partners through locally based training, provision of an expertly manned Advisory Service and publication of Scottish Clinical Coding Standards. Terminology Services form part of Data Support and Quality within the Data Management Team.
Why do we need clinical classifications, coding and terminology?
Clinical and health related data are collected on various national patient based datasets by ISD to support a variety of purposes including epidemiology, service planning and performance management. The information is also used to support policy making decisions aimed at improving the health and healthcare of the people of Scotland. To ensure that data is recorded consistently and accurately, to facilitate analyses and to provide meaningful comparisons, nationally agreed clinical coding systems are used. Terminology Services offers advice and support to users of clinical coding and terminology systems in Scotland.
Our Services
Expert Advice
We provide an expert based clinical coding and terminology advisory service for NHS Scotland and other external customers including the Scottish Government, information analysts, clinicians, researchers, clinical coders and systems suppliers. Our advisory service offers coding advice to hospital based clinical coders but we also assist analysts by helping them to select the correct codes for analyses of healthcare data or to help interpret customer needs for healthcare information requests. We also advise on any coding differences between Scotland and other UK countries, answer coding queries and requests from clinicians and advise IT staff on the availability of coding systems.
Training
In addition to advice, Terminology Services offers locally based bespoke training in ICD10, OPCS-4, Read and SNOMED-CT standards. Our website contains a full list of our courses but please contact us if there are any other aspects of clinical coding training that you would like us to consider supporting. We can provide this training tailored to our customers' needs e.g. clinical coders, clinicians, information analysts, IT staff and administrative staff.
Support Materials
We also publish Scottish Clinical Coding Standards and provide additional supporting material such as our coding leaflet for hospital physicians submitting discharge summaries.
Other Services
We also coordinate new code requests for Read, Clinical Imaging Procedures and SNOMED-CT in Scotland. In addition we provide technical expertise for data quality assurance in other NHS programmes of work and contribute to the maintenance and development of the above mentioned coding systems.
Coding systems supported by Terminology Services include ICD, OPCS, Read, SNOMED-CT and codes for Clinical Imaging Procedures.
For further information please browse our webpages. You can also download a leaflet that summarises our services.
Latest News
18th February 2012
As of January 2013 our Coding Guidelines publication will now be referred to as the ‘Scottish Clinical Coding Standards’. No changes will be made to the release mechanism.
7 March 2012 - ICD10 V4 - 2010 Edition.
The NHS in England will be moving on to the next edition of ICD10 (V4 - 2010 edition) as from April 1st 2012, however Scotland will not move to use the new version before April 1st 2013.
The updated classification involves some major changes to coding of certain conditions, just over 100 new codes, a new chapter and some deletions.
New books will be required and the purchase of these is being organised centrally.
Nearer to the implementation date, the Clinical Coding tutors will offer training and awareness sessions to explain the changes in the new version. New Clinical Coding Instruction Manuals will also be made available.
If you have any queries regarding this information, please get in touch through the Terminology Advisory Service.
