It is based on the earlier Office of Population Censuses and Surveys Classification of Surgical Operations and Procedures (4th revision),[2] and retains the OPCS abbreviation from this now defunct publication.
OPCS-4 codifies operations, procedures and interventions performed during in-patient stays, day case surgery and some out-patient treatments in NHS hospitals.
By 2003, the NHS IA had realised OPCS-4.2 no longer accurately reflected many of the procedures being performed in the UK healthcare system.
As a medium term measure, a project to replace OPCS-4 with a more robust method of procedure coding was proposed and partially developed.
Much of the development work for the suspended project was reused to produce the initial expansion and enhancement of OPCS-4.2 to OPCS-4.3.
OPCS-4 version mandated for use (financial year)[7] Whilst additions to OPCS-4 are reviewed on an annual basis, the long term plan is to replace OPCS-4 with SNOMED CT.[8] On 31 March 2013 NHS CFH ceased to exist.
On 1 April 2013, the Health and Social Care Information Centre's (HSCIC) Clinical Classifications Service (CCS) became responsible for the revision and maintenance of OPCS-4.
[14] This list of surgical eponyms, contains common NHS procedures that may also be known by the surgeon, team or institution that developed the method or device used.
[17] This section of Volume II is a single page glossary that defines suffixes that are used throughout the classification.
It is initially supplied to novice coders who attend a standards course run by a CCS approved trainer.
Prior to OPCS-4.7, and the move of maintenance responsibility to NHS Digital, the standards book was known as the Clinical Coding Instruction Manual.
The guidance section of the list stated that it was down to the clinical staff to use the generic instead of brand names.
The Chemotherapy Regimens List, also issued by the DH Payment by Results team, is for the coding of administration of antineoplastic drugs.
The National Clinical Coding Standards OPCS-4 and both of the DH lists are issued to coders via Terminology Reference Data Update Distribution Service (TRUD)[1] and on the NHS England platform Delen[18] The Chemotherapy Regimens list has not been updated since 2017.