Medical Secretary

Sonning Common Health Centre; Reading; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

A primary care practice in Reading is seeking a part-time Medical Secretary to support patient care through managing referrals, processing medical forms, and maintaining medical records. Ideal candidates will have secretarial experience in healthcare, excellent communication skills, and proficiency in medical software. This role offers an excellent opportunity to join a collaborative team dedicated to high standards of patient care. Interested applicants can apply by email to the practice.

Qualifications

• Secretarial experience in a medical setting.
• Experience in the NHS or a similar healthcare environment.
• Ability to work in a multi‑disciplined team.

Responsibilities

• Manage referrals for patients including urgent and non-urgent.
• Process medical forms and liaise with hospital teams.
• Digitise medical records and manage email correspondence.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Fast and accurate copy typing

Interpersonal skills

Problem solving and investigative skills

Education

GCSE Mathematics and English grade A to C

Typing and word processing qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office packages

EMIS Web

Docman

ERS referral system

IGPR

Job description

Due to relocation, we areseeking an experienced and enthusiastic MedicalSecretary to join the friendly and supportive team at Sonning Common Health Centre.

This is a part-time position of 2025hours per week, offering an excellent opportunity to become an integral part of a busy primary care setting.

The successful candidate will be highly organised, proactive and responsive to the demands of a varied workload. You will be required to manage time-sensitive tasks throughout the day, prioritising effectively to ensure the smooth running of clinical and administrative processes.

You will be joining a collaborative and welcoming team that values initiative, accuracy and a positive, professional approach. Strong communication skills, excellent attention to detail and the ability to work calmly under pressure in a fast-paced environment are essential.

This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated and adaptable individual who is passionate about supporting high-quality patient care. If you thrive in a busy healthcare environment and take pride in delivering efficient and compassionate administrative support, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Please email [e-mail] for an application pack. CVs are not accepted. An application form must be completed to apply for the vacancy.

The closing date for applications is 0900 Monday 19th January 2026. Interviews will take place on Thursday 22nd January 2026. The application may close early if a suitable applicant applies.

Main duties of the job

Manage referrals for patients: urgent and non-urgent referrals

Liaise with patients regarding referrals and hospital appointments

Liaise with hospital teams and consultants both NHS and private

Liaise with all teams within the practice

Process insurance medical forms and private medical requests. Invoice in advance for work to be done, liaise with our Finance Officer

Processing Subject Access Requests for patients and for legal and insurance reports as required

Third party checks of SARs and Insurance reports created via IGPR and manually

Private work e.g. Firearms forms, DVLA forms ensuring associated work is processed efficiently and correctly

Scan and file documents onto medical systems

Email management: provide an efficient, speedy response to patient emails and other emails from health partners etc.

Manage secretarial post and incoming work. Processing Death Certificates.

ERS worklists processing A&G replies and actioning any comments regarding referrals.

Digitising medical records.

Help with updates to secretarial protocols.

Attend alternate clinical meetings to take minutes, type up and circulate them.

Provide holiday and sickness cover within the secretary team.

Be receptive to new ways of working.

About us

The practice was established in the 1950s, the current premises were opened in 1970 and the practice has grown to now care for almost 10,000 patients. From here GP partners and salaried doctors provide high quality, traditional general practice care. The practice falls within the boundary of the Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire ICB. The practice is registered with the Care Quality Commission and obtained a report of Outstanding at the most recent review in June 2019. The practice ethos is that of a strong close-knit practice team, maintaining high standards of patient care in an efficient, well‑organised and friendly environment. Patients' interests are kept to the fore with a strong emphasis on continuity of care, personal doctoring and integrity in the workplace. A high level of achievement under the Quality and Outcomes Framework targets demonstrates this commitment. The doctors are keen and willing to give new ideas a try and are not afraid of change providing it does not have a detrimental effect on the patients or current practice team. The partners work together to provide the team with strong and effective strategic management. All partners have a strong commitment to the NHS remaining in public ownership. The practice has its own dispensary and provides this service for around 30% of its patients. The practice is an approved training and teaching practice. The partners and doctors aspire to achieving a good work‑life balance and flexibility in the workplace.

Job responsibilities

Typing - patient referral letters from GPs, and other letters and reports

Manage referrals for patients: urgent (2 week wait) and non-urgent referrals using different software packages following NHS referral procedures and protocols

Liaise with patients regarding referrals and hospital appointments and provide a helpful support service to patient questions and queries

Liaise with hospital teams and consultants as necessary, both NHS and private

Liaise with all teams within the practice: clinical, Reception, Admin, dispensary and the management team on an ongoing basis

Process insurance medical forms and private medical requests and pass to relevant doctors for checking. Invoice in advance for work to be done and liaise with our Finance Officer regarding payment

Processing Subject Access Requests for patients and for legal and insurance reports as required. Manually and via IGPR

Third party checks of SARs and Insurance reports created via IGPR and manually.

Private work e.g. Firearms forms, DVLA forms ensuring associated work is done as well, e.g. scanning paper records if applicable, creating invoices, ensuring appointments are booked.

Scan and file documents onto medical systems: EMIS and Docman. Creating and updating EMIS letter templates

Email management: provide an efficient, speedy response to patient emails to the practice secretary email address and other emails from health partners etc.

Manage secretarial post and incoming work, logging, invoicing and forward to GPs and other clinical team members for action or information. Processing Death Certificates.

ERS worklists processing A&G replies and actioning any comments regarding referrals.

Digitising medical records. Scanning paper records onto Docman and filing them. Destroying the paper medical records via confidential waste.

Help with updates to secretarial protocols. Reviewed periodically

Attend alternate clinical meetings to take minutes, type up and circulate them. Action anything for secretaries

Provide holiday cover within the secretary team as required and have the flexibility to assist with sickness cover within the team if required

Be receptive to new ways of working: for example being involved in new software packages and systems to enable teams to work more effectively

Other secretarial tasks as required

Person Specification

Experience

• Secretarial experience
• Experience of working as part of a multi‑disciplined team
• Experience of working in the NHS or medical setting

Qualifications

• GCSE Mathematics and English grade A to C
• Typing and word processing qualification

Skills

• Excellent communication skills - written and verbal
• Fast and accurate copy typing skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Problem solving and investigative skills

Knowledge

• Broad understanding of NHS and / or General Practice
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office packages
• Knowledge of EMIS Web or equivalent medical computer system
• Knowledge of Docman or equivalent document storage system
• Knowledge of ERS referral system
• Knowledge of IGPR

Behaviours

• Ability to plan and organise efficiently
• Ability to manage and prioritise own workload
• Able to use own judgement and common sense
• Happy to work as part of a team and individually
• Able to use initiative and be self‑motivated
• Displays attention to detail and is methodical
• Flexible and adaptable

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.