Burdwood Surgery
Medical Secretary
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Job Summary
The position is for 24 hours per week.
The working pattern is: Thursday 08:30 - 16:30, Friday 08:30 - 16:30 + 1 additional day on either Monday or Wednesday, 08:30 - 16:30.
The working pattern can vary depending on the needs of the business.
We are seeking an organised, professional and proactive Medical Secretary to join our friendly and welcoming team at Burdwood Surgery.
The successful candidate will provide high-quality administrative and secretarial support to our clinicians, ensuring patients receive an efficient and confidential service.
In this role, you will create and chase up referrals, deal with telephone enquiries and prepare & produce document templates, such as hospital referrals. You will also be responsible for the paperwork relating to shotgun licenses and our death protocol.
The ideal candidate will need to be confident, methodical and efficient with excellent verbal and written communication skills. The successful candidate must be able to work on their own initiative and have good time management skills.
Previous secretarial experience is essential. Previous experience in a healthcare role and knowledge of medical terminology would be beneficial.
Full training will be given to the successful candidate.
We are unable to offer Visa sponsorship to candidates.
Please apply by submitting your CV and covering letter, detailing why you would like to work with us.
Main duties of the job
This role is office-based within a GP practice with frequent use of computers and telephones.
The role includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Provide secretarial and administrative support to our clinicians and non-clinical staff as required. This includes the typing of letters, reports, patient referrals, memorandums, etc. in an accurate and timely manner.
- Process referrals using NHS electronic referral systems where appropriate.
- Monitor and manage tasks/workflows allocated by GPs or management.
- Manage incoming and outgoing correspondence, including emails accurately and within agreed timescales.
- Handle telephone calls and patient enquiries in a professional and courteous manner.
- Liaise with hospitals, community services, and external healthcare providers regarding appointments, referrals, and patient information.
- Maintain accurate patient records and ensure information is updated correctly.
- Communicate effectively with clinicians, patients, and other members of the practice team.
A job description is available which has full listing of what is required for the post of Medical Secretary at Burdwood Surgery. This job is very busy and requires flexibility and attention to detail.
We regularly review applications and reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient suitable applications for the role.
About Us
Burdwood Surgery is a town practice located in the centre of Thatcham. We are a list holding practice with a list size of around 10,300 patients. We are part of the Kennet PCN, working closely with Thatcham Medical Practice and Falkland Surgery.
After the 2022 Patient Survey, we were rated the 5th best practice in Berkshire with a patient satisfaction rate of 91% for our reception team. We pride ourselves on being a dementia friendly and military veteran friendly medical practice and in our most recent CQC review, we were rated Good in all areas.
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Alongside our dedicated admin and reception teams, we also have a large clinical team made up of GPs, paramedics, pharmacists, practice nurses, healthcare assistants, and social prescribers who all work together to provide the best care for our patients.
We also offer training to all our staff and welcome the opportunity for our colleagues to further their skills by attending training courses suitable to their role.
Our Patient Participation Group is very engaged, and this year, they have helped us run blood pressure clinics to provide better care for our patients.
We have great road and rail links; we are only a 5-minute walk from Thatcham Railway Station. Burdwood Surgery is easy commutable from West Berkshire, Reading and Basingstoke.
Details
- Date posted: 11 May 2026
- Pay scheme: Other
- Salary: £13 to £14.25 an hour dependent on experience
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Part-time, Job share
- Reference number: A1666-26-0001
- Job locations: Wheelers Green Way, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG19 4YF
Job Description
Job responsibilities
Role And Scope Of The Job:
- To provide high-quality administrative and secretarial support to our clinicians, ensuring patients receive an efficient and confidential service.
- To create and chase up referrals, deal with telephone enquiries and prepare & produce document templates, such as hospital referrals.
- To be responsible for the paperwork relating to shotgun licenses and our death protocol.
Duties And Responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of the Medical Secretary team may include any or all of the following list. Duties may be varied from time to time under the direction of the Management Team and GP Partners. This will be dependent on current and evolving workload and staffing levels.
The Following Are Core Responsibilities:
Secretarial
- Provide secretarial and administrative support to our clinicians and non-clinical staff as required. This includes the typing of letters, reports, patient referrals, memorandums, etc. in an accurate and timely manner.
- Process referrals using NHS electronic referral systems where appropriate.
- Monitor and manage tasks/workflows allocated by GPs or management.
- Manage incoming and outgoing correspondence, including emails accurately and within agreed timescales.
- Handle telephone calls and patient enquiries in a professional and courteous manner.
- Liaise with hospitals, community services, and external healthcare providers regarding appointments, referrals, and patient information.
- Maintain accurate patient records and ensure information is updated correctly.
- Communicate effectively with clinicians, patients, and other members of the practice team.
Team working
- Provide cover for members of the secretarial team during periods of sickness and annual leave.
- Work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working.
- Accept delegation from senior staff, prioritise own workload and ensure effective time management strategies are embedded in own practice.
- Participate in team activities that create opportunities to improve customer care.
- Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance. Support and facilitate change as requested.
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Business
- Maintain the ethos and culture of Burdwood Surgery, whilst positively promoting the Practice.
- To have a thorough knowledge of all practice procedures and policies and adhere to these accurately at all times.
- To work in accordance with written protocols, referring to management for guidance.
- To understand, accept and adhere to the strict rules of confidentiality.
- Attend in-house governance, educational and staff meetings as appropriate.
- Attend mandatory training as identified by the practice.
- Undertake all mandatory e-learning / training within the specified timeframe.
A full job description and person specification is attached to this advert.
Person Specification
Skills
Essential
- Excellent communication skills, both verbally and non-verbally.
- Competent with computers, especially Microsoft products (Word & Excel).
- Clear, polite telephone manner.
- Strong organisation skills.
- Ability to work as an individual but also as part of a team.
- Effective time management and ability to prioritise workload.
- Problem solving and analytical skills.
Desirable
- EMISWeb user skills.
- NHS e-Referral Service skills.
Essential
- Disclosure Barring Service (DBS).
- Occupational Health Certificate.
Desirable
- Flexibility to work outside of core working pattern.
Essential
- GCSE English and Maths (grade C or above).
Desirable
- Educated to A-level/equivalent or higher, with relevant experience.
- Medical terminology qualification or administration qualification.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with the general public.
- Previous secretarial experience.
- Experience of administration duties.
- Experience of speaking to public via telephone.
Desirable
- Experience of working in a healthcare setting.
- Experience of working in a general practice.
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Ability to keep calm in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to work well under pressure and to tight deadlines.
- Sensitive, caring and empathetic in distressing situations.
- A passion for helping others.
- Polite and approachable behaviour at all times.
- Professional and confident behaviour.
- Motivated.
- Clear commitment to attention to detail and quality.
- Willingness to learn and disseminate new knowledge and skills to others.
- Positive and enthusiastic with a great patient focus.
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.
Employer details
- Employer name: Burdwood Surgery
- Address: Wheelers Green Way, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG19 4YF
- Employer's website: https://www.burdwoodsurgery.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
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