Practice Assistant

NHS; City Of London; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

A community healthcare provider in London is looking for a Practice Assistant who will serve as the first point of contact for patients, manage appointments, and ensure smooth clinical operations. Ideal candidates should have strong communication skills, be organized, and understand patient confidentiality principles. This is a vital role within a supportive and professional environment aimed at delivering exceptional patient care.

Qualifications

• Ability to work under pressure while maintaining accuracy and professionalism.
• Understanding of confidentiality, GDPR and patient sensitivity.
• Team player with a proactive and flexible approach.

Responsibilities

• Answer patient calls promptly and professionally, managing bookings.
• Maintain accurate patient records and process incoming correspondence.
• Support administrative processes across the practice.

Skills

Excellent communication

Organisational skills

Interpersonal skills

Time management

Tools

EMIS

AccuRx

Docman

MS Office

Job description

Job Summary

At Your Family Practice, we create a supportive, forward‑thinking environment where every team member contributes to exceptional patient care. As a Practice Assistant you will be the friendly first point of contact for our patients, ensuring our clinical and administrative systems run smoothly behind the scenes.

You thrive in this role if you are emotionally intelligent, communicate with empathy and professionalism, and are passionate about making a difference in people’s lives every day.

Main Duties

• Answer patient calls promptly and professionally; manage appointment bookings; handle queries; direct patients to the appropriate service or clinician.
• Carry out reception and daily checklists, ensuring all front‑desk tasks are completed accurately and on time, including checking rooms, supplies, and processing documents, prescriptions, and messages on EMIS.
• Support wider administrative processes and maintain safe, efficient operations across the practice.

Key Responsibilities

Reception and Front‑of‑House Duties

• Welcome patients and visitors warmly.
• Answer incoming calls promptly, courteously and professionally using the surgery’s telephone system.
• Handle patient queries, appointment requests and repeat prescription enquiries efficiently and empathetically.
• Carry out all daily and reception checklists, ensuring all assigned tasks are completed on time.
• Register new patients and process changes to patient details in line with NHS and practice protocols.
• Book, amend, and cancel appointments using EMIS, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality.
• Maintain a clean, tidy, patient‑friendly reception area.
• Process incoming and outgoing mail, emails, and AccuRx messages.
• Signpost patients appropriately to other healthcare professionals or community services.
• Handle cash payments and issue receipts when required.

Administrative and Clerical Duties

• Maintain accurate patient records, ensuring all data is correctly coded and filed.
• Process and scan incoming clinical correspondence, test results and hospital letters.
• Manage electronic tasks, documents and workflow items on EMIS and Docman.
• Support the clinical team with referrals, recall lists and administrative follow‑up.
• Prepare documents, reports and registers as requested by managers or clinicians.
• Complete tasks assigned by the Reception Supervisor or Reception Manager within deadlines.
• Ensure confidentiality and data protection principles are followed at all times in accordance with GDPR and NHS policies.
• Participate in audits, searches and data quality improvement activities.
• Update patient summaries and assist with clinical coding where appropriate.
• Assist with practice projects and performance programmes (e.g. QOF, NHS Health Checks, and recalls).

Teamwork and Communication

• Work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure the reception desk is always covered and workflows are managed efficiently.
• Communicate effectively with clinicians, nurses, pharmacists and administrative staff to ensure seamless service delivery.
• Attend regular team meetings and contribute to improving systems and patient experience.
• Escalate patient or operational concerns promptly to supervisors or the management team.
• Promote positive working relationships and support new team members during induction.

Operational and Quality Standards

• Follow all SOPs and policies set by the practice.
• Report any breaches of confidentiality, safety concerns or near‑misses to the line manager.
• Ensure correct use of EMIS, AccuRx, Docman, NHS Mail and other systems.
• Maintain a professional appearance and uphold the practice’s standards of conduct and patient care.
• Support implementation of new technologies and digital tools to enhance efficiency and patient access.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of administrative systems and workflows.

Continuous Learning and Development

• Engage in ongoing training, including mandatory and role‑specific learning (e.g. safeguarding, data protection, CPR).
• Participate in one‑to‑one reviews, appraisals and feedback discussions to support professional growth.
• Embrace new learning opportunities that align with the practice’s values:
• Emotionally Intelligent – understanding patient and colleague needs with empathy.
• Positive – maintaining an optimistic, can‑do approach.
• Accountable – taking ownership of your work and responsibilities.
• Continuously Learning – growing your skills and knowledge.
• Data‑Oriented – supporting accuracy, performance and decision‑making through good data practices.

Health, Safety & Confidentiality

• Comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act and all related policies.
• Ensure safe use of office equipment and report any faults immediately.
• Maintain patient confidentiality and adhere to Data Protection (GDPR) legislation.
• Handle personal and clinical information sensitively, ensuring security at all times.
• Actively participate in infection control procedures and cleanliness standards.

Other Duties

• Undertake any additional duties required to support the smooth operation of the practice.
• Provide cover for colleagues during periods of absence or high demand.
• Contribute ideas to improve patient access, operational efficiency and service quality.
• Support patient engagement activities such as health campaigns and practice events.

Person Specification – Essential

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organisational and time‑management abilities.
• Ability to work under pressure while maintaining accuracy and professionalism.
• Team player with a proactive and flexible approach.
• Understanding of confidentiality, GDPR and patient sensitivity.

Person Specification – Desirable

• Previous experience in a GP surgery or healthcare setting.
• Knowledge of NHS systems and terminology.
• Customer service experience in a busy environment.
• Confidence using IT systems (EMIS, AccuRx, Docman, MS Office).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and will require a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer Details

Brigstock Family Practice
83 Brigstock Road
Thornton Heath
Surrey
CR7 7JH
Brigstock Family Practice Website