Temporary GP Receptionist - Maternity Cover in London

Bloomsbury Surgery is looking for an experienced GP Receptionist to join our friendly and busy Central London practice to provide maternity cover from December 2026. This is a full-time role, Monday to Friday, with some flexibility around working hours.

We are looking for someone with previous GP reception experience who can hit the ground running, work confidently in a busy environment and quickly become part of our established reception team. Experience of EMIS Web would be highly desirable.

The successful candidate will provide a professional and welcoming service to patients and support the smooth day-to-day running of the practice. Duties will include:

• Dealing with patient enquiries face-to-face and by telephone
• Booking and managing appointments
• Processing prescription and administrative requests
• Handling incoming correspondence and tasks
• Supporting GPs, clinicians and the wider practice team

You will need to be organised, reliable and able to manage competing demands while maintaining patient confidentiality and providing a high standard of customer service.

About us: Bloomsbury Surgery is a busy GP practice located in Central London. We provide primary care services to a diverse patient population and have a friendly and supportive multidisciplinary team. Our reception and administrative teams work closely with our GPs and other healthcare professionals to provide an efficient and responsive service to our patients.

The GP Receptionist is an important member of the practice team and is often the first point of contact for our patients. The postholder will provide a professional, efficient and welcoming reception service while supporting the day-to-day administrative needs of the practice.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Greet patients and visitors in a friendly, professional and helpful manner
• Deal with patient enquiries face-to-face, by telephone and electronically
• Book, cancel and rearrange appointments in accordance with practice procedures
• Signpost patients appropriately to the most suitable member of the practice or wider healthcare team
• Deal sensitively and professionally with patients who may be anxious, distressed or frustrated
• Maintain patient confidentiality at all times
• Answer incoming telephone calls promptly and professionally
• Take and pass on messages accurately and appropriately
• Process prescription and other patient requests in accordance with practice procedures
• Deal with incoming correspondence, electronic tasks and administrative requests
• Update patient information accurately on the clinical system
• Register new patients and process changes to patient details where required
• Support the processing of referrals, forms and other general practice administration as required
• Work closely with GPs, nurses, other clinicians and administrative colleagues
• Provide administrative support to clinicians as required
• Communicate effectively with hospitals, pharmacies and other healthcare organisations where appropriate
• Assist colleagues during busy periods and provide cover within the reception team
• Contribute to the smooth and efficient running of the practice

The postholder will have access to confidential patient and practice information and must maintain confidentiality at all times. All information must be handled in accordance with practice policies, data protection requirements and NHS information governance standards.

General Responsibilities:

• Follow practice policies and procedures
• Maintain a professional and courteous approach when dealing with patients and colleagues
• Participate in relevant training and practice meetings as required
• Work safely and responsibly and report any concerns appropriately
• Undertake other reasonable duties appropriate to the role as required by the Practice Manager or GP Partners

Person Specification:

Essential:

• Previous experience working as a receptionist within a GP practice
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Confident dealing with patients both face-to-face and by telephone
• Experience using GP clinical systems
• Good organisational and administrative skills
• Ability to prioritise and manage a busy workload
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team
• Reliable, professional and flexible approach to work
• Understanding of patient confidentiality

Desirable:

• Experience using EMIS Web
• Experience of electronic prescribing and prescription processes
• Knowledge of NHS primary care and general practice procedures
• Experience dealing with electronic correspondence and clinical/administrative tasks

The duties outlined above are not intended to be exhaustive. The postholder may be required to undertake other reasonable duties appropriate to the role and the needs of the practice.

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.

Employer name: The Bloomsbury Surgery

Address: Bloomsbury Surgery, 1 Handel Street, London, WC1N 1PD, United Kingdom

Employer's website: https://www.bloomsburysurgery.nhs.uk/