GP Receptionist & Medical Secretary

Mayfield Surgery is looking for a friendly, organised and motivated individual to join our supportive team as a Receptionist & Medical Secretary. This is a varied and rewarding role, combining front‑house patient care with dedicated medical secretarial responsibilities. Most of your week will be spent supporting patients at reception, with one allocated day focused on referral and secretarial work, giving you the opportunity to develop a broad range of skills within General Practice.

As one of the first people our patients speak to, you'll play an important part in ensuring they receive a professional, compassionate and efficient service. You'll also work closely with GPs, nurses, pharmacists and the wider practice team to help deliver high‑quality patient care. We're looking for someone who enjoys working with people, remains calm under pressure and takes pride in delivering excellent customer service. Previous NHS General Practice experience is desirable but not essential, as full training will be provided for the right candidate.

If you are looking for a role where every day is different, where you can make a genuine difference to patients and become part of a welcoming and supportive practice team, we'd love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

This is a dual role combining patient‑facing reception duties with dedicated medical secretarial responsibilities. You will welcome patients, answer telephone and online enquiries, manage appointments, process administrative requests and support the smooth day‑to‑day running of the practice. You'll help patients navigate NHS services, maintain accurate records and provide excellent customer service at every interaction.

On your allocated secretarial day, you'll support clinicians by preparing referrals, processing NHS e‑Referral Service (e‑RS) requests, tracking referrals and investigations, liaising with hospitals and community services, and ensuring work is completed accurately and within required timescales. The role requires excellent communication, organisation and IT skills, together with the ability to prioritise work in a busy environment. You'll work closely with the whole practice team while maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality, professionalism and patient care.

About us

Mayfield surgery are based in the heart of the Roehampton community and have a friendly and supportive practice team. We are an enthusiastic and forward‑thinking team of health care professionals and administrative colleagues, committed to multi‑disciplinary team working and offering patient centred high quality care.

We use a "Total triage" or "Modern general practice" pathway which ensures that all patient medical requests are reviewed by a clinician prior to appointments being offered. This means that we can ensure the patients are seen by the appropriate service.

The Practice uses Accurx and Docman for Workflow management. We also outsource medical report requests.

Job responsibilities

Receptionist & Medical Secretary

Hours: Full Time (37.5 hours per week)

Location: Mayfield Surgery, 246 Roehampton Lane, London SW15 4AA

Responsible to: Practice Manager

Salary: Dependent upon experience

Role Purpose

We are looking for an enthusiastic, organised and compassionate Receptionist & Medical Secretary to join our friendly General Practice team. This is a varied role combining patient‑facing reception duties with dedicated medical secretarial responsibilities. The successful applicant will usually spend most of the working week undertaking reception duties, with one allocated day supporting the practice's medical secretarial service. Flexibility is essential, as the balance of duties may vary according to service demand, annual leave and operational requirements.

The successful candidate will provide excellent customer service to patients whilst supporting clinicians and colleagues to deliver safe, efficient and high‑quality care.

Main Duties (Reception)

• Welcome patients and visitors in a professional and friendly manner.
• Act as the first point of contact for patients attending or contacting the practice.
• Answer telephone calls and respond to online and email enquiries.
• Process requests received through the practice's online consultation system.
• Book, amend and cancel appointments in accordance with practice protocols.
• Signpost patients to the most appropriate clinician or service.
• Register new patients and temporary residents.
• Update patient demographic information accurately.
• Support patients with NHS App enquiries where appropriate.
• Manage patient arrivals and waiting room enquiries.
• Deal professionally with complaints and difficult situations, escalating concerns where necessary.

Administration

• Process incoming and outgoing correspondence.
• Complete daily administrative workflows.
• Process administrative prescription requests.
• Maintain accurate patient records using EMIS Web.
• Manage shared inboxes.
• Support opening and closing procedures.
• Maintain a clean, organised and welcoming reception area.

Medical Secretarial Duties

On allocated administration days you will:

• Prepare GP referral letters.
• Process referrals using the NHS e‑Referral Service (e‑RS).
• Process urgent suspected cancer referrals within required timescales.
• Prepare investigation requests using approved systems.
• Track outstanding referrals and appointments.
• Chase hospital correspondence and clinic letters.
• Liaise with hospitals and community services regarding referral queries.
• Support clinicians with their administrative workload.
• Manage medical secretarial worklists.
• Ensure referrals are processed accurately and within agreed timescales.

Communication and Team Working

You will:

• Deliver excellent customer service at all times.
• Communicate effectively with patients, carers and colleagues.
• Work collaboratively with GPs, nurses, pharmacists and administrative staff.
• Liaise professionally with external healthcare providers.
• Escalate safeguarding concerns in accordance with practice policy.
• Remain calm, organised and professional during busy periods.

About You

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• Good IT skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritise workload in a busy environment.
• Professional telephone manner.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Commitment to confidentiality and patient‑centred care.
• Good written and spoken English.

Desirable

• Previous experience working in General Practice.
• Medical secretarial experience.
• Experience using EMIS Web.
• Knowledge of Accurx, Surgery Connect, Docman, NHS e‑Referral Service (e‑RS), T‑Quest or GP2GP.

Personal Qualities

• Friendly and approachable.
• Compassionate and professional.
• Calm under pressure.
• Reliable and flexible.
• Well organised.
• Positive and proactive.
• Willing to learn and develop.
• Committed to delivering excellent patient care.

Confidentiality and Professional Responsibilities

The successful applicant will handle confidential patient information and must comply with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, Caldicott Principles, NHS Information Governance requirements and all practice policies. The post holder is expected to comply with Health & Safety legislation, Infection Prevention and Control procedures, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policies, and to participate fully in mandatory training, appraisal and continuing professional development.

Please note that this job description is intended as a guide to the main responsibilities of the role and may be amended to meet the changing needs of the practice.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of working in a customer service or reception environment.
• Experience of communicating effectively with members of the public, both face‑to‑face and by telephone.
• Experience of working in a busy environment where competing priorities must be managed.
• Experience of using computer systems and Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience of working accurately with a high level of attention to detail.
• Experience of handling confidential or sensitive information appropriately.
• Experience of working as part of a team.
• Previous experience working in an NHS General Practice or Primary Care setting.
• Experience of medical secretarial duties, including preparing referrals and clinical correspondence.
• Experience using EMIS Web.
• Experience using Accurx Total Triage.
• Experience using Surgery Connect or other cloud‑based telephony systems.
• Experience using NHS e‑Referral Service (e‑RS).
• Experience using Docman, T‑Quest and GP2GP.
• Experience of processing urgent referrals, including suspected cancer referrals.
• Experience of supporting clinicians with administrative and secretarial tasks.
• Experience of working with NHS digital systems and patient administration processes.

Qualifications

• GCSE (or equivalent) Grade 4/C or above in English and Mathematics, or equivalent level of literacy and numeracy.
• Good standard of general education.
• NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Business Administration, Customer Service or Healthcare Administration (or equivalent).
• Medical Secretary qualification or equivalent training.
• Care Certificate or other relevant NHS/customer service qualification.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.