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Essential Medical Secretarial Skills for General Practice

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Summary

Medical Secretarial Skills Course for NHS primary care staff covering medical correspondence, SARs, GDPR, confidentiality, consent, capacity and workflow management.

This practical course develops confidence in handling Subject Access Requests (SARs), GDPR compliance, confidentiality, consent, capacity, proxy access, special category data, workflow management and safe communication processes.

This Medical Secretarial Skills Course also supports staff to manage SARs, proxy access, special category data, consent, capacity and confidentiality safely within everyday primary care administration.

The course includes essential medical terminology as part of the programme, helping delegates understand the clinical language they may encounter when preparing letters, processing correspondence and supporting clinical administration.

This Medical Secretarial Skills Course complements our GP Note Summarising Training, SNOMED Coding Training, Read Code Training, GP Receptionist Training and wider Primary Care Administration Training programmes.

For external context, the NHS guidance on accessing GP health records provides useful patient-facing information.

Aims

Medical Secretarial Skills Course Aims

The aim of this Medical Secretarial Skills Course is to develop confidence and competence in the core responsibilities of medical secretarial roles within NHS primary care.

By the end of the course delegates will be able to:

  • Manage medical correspondence accurately and efficiently.
  • Understand the requirements of GDPR, the Data Protection Act, Gillick Competence and the Mental Capacity Act.
  • Support clinicians with documentation and administrative tasks.
  • Liaise appropriately with solicitors whilst maintaining patient best-interest principles.
  • Apply confidentiality and information governance requirements in daily practice.
  • Contribute to safe, structured and effective communication across healthcare services.
  • Manage Subject Access Requests (SARs) confidently and compliantly.
  • Improve workflow, diary and document management processes.
Who Should Attend?

Who Should Attend This Medical Secretary Training Programme?

This Medical Secretarial Skills Course is suitable for:

  • Medical secretaries working in GP practices.
  • Primary care administrative staff.
  • Reception staff progressing into secretarial roles.
  • GP practice support staff responsible for clinical correspondence.
  • Primary Care Network administrative teams.
  • Staff transitioning into healthcare secretarial positions.

The course is suitable for both newly appointed and experienced staff seeking to strengthen their medical secretarial skills within NHS primary care.

Additional Information

Medical Secretarial Skills Course Overview

The Medical Secretarial Skills Course provides NHS primary care staff with the practical knowledge required to support clinicians, manage medical correspondence and maintain effective administrative processes within GP practices and Primary Care Networks.

Participants will gain an understanding of confidentiality, information governance and legal frameworks that underpin safe patient administration. The course also develops confidence in handling Subject Access Requests, proxy access enquiries and communication with patients, solicitors and healthcare professionals.

Module 1: Governance, Confidentiality and Administrative Processes

  • Confidentiality, consent, competence, capacity and GDPR compliance.
  • Managing Subject Access Requests (SARs).
  • Understanding proxy access requirements.
  • Communicating with patients regarding SAR requests.
  • Gillick Competence and the Mental Capacity Act.
  • Coding requirements for SAR requests.
  • Managing special category data safely.
  • Effective diary, workflow and document management.

Module 2: Medical Terminology and Clinical Communication

  • Introduction to essential medical terminology.
  • Understanding common clinical abbreviations.
  • Interpreting healthcare documentation accurately.
  • Supporting accurate transcription and correspondence management.
  • Developing confidence in clinical communication processes.

Throughout this Medical Secretarial Training programme, delegates apply learning to practical examples and case studies involving SARs, proxy access, confidentiality, young people, solicitor requests and medical correspondence.

Delegate Feedback

Essential Medical Secretarial Skills for General Practice
SE Combined Client - 26th February 2026

2 delegates completed evaluations, each scoring 4 domains out of 6

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