Apprentice Secretary

VICTORIA ROAD SURGERY

Suffolk (NR33 9LU)

Closes on Friday 31 July 2026

Posted on 29 May 2026

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Summary

Assist the secretarial team with referrals / non-NHS work / scanning and coding of incoming mail

Wage

£13,312 to £21,149.44, depending on your age

National Minimum Wage

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Business administrator (level 3)
Hours
Monday – Friday (8:00am – 7:00pm) (with the option of either a Monday or Friday off).

32 hours a week

Start date

Monday 3 August 2026

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

Secretarial:

  • Process referrals to hospitals and other agencies
  • Updating external computer programmes with diagnosis, so regular contact with patients is upheld inline with NICE Guidance
  • Dealing with incoming post from postal services / emails and circulating to appropriate departments
  • Receiving incoming telephone calls and initiating outgoing telephone calls. Taking messages and dealing with appropriate queries
  • Maintain the computerised records of patients in an accurate and secure manner
  • To cover members of the secretarial team during periods of sickness and annual leave
  • Order stationery and cleaning materials to ensure adequate supplies
  • Organising work initiated by patients, i.e. life insurance forms / fostering assessments / PIP claim forms
  • Liaising with companies and patients concerning this work via telephone / email
  • Logging payments and organising banking for Practice Manager

Scanning & Read Coding

  • Scanning incoming mail/ emails from hospital / integrated documents on medical system or forms received back from patients for GPs action
  • Coding appropriate information / diagnoses from letters to assist GPs with continuation of care

Additional Duties

ReSPECT forms – Organising visits for GPs to complete / Review forms. Sending forms on to patients

Safeguarding

Any appropriate additional duties the team is requested to do by GPs or Practice Management

Confidentiality

  • Patients entrust staff members with sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately
  • In performance of the duties, outlined above, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential
  • Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Health and Safety

  • Promoting and maintaining their own and others’ health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health and Safety policy
  • Identifying risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
  • Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills.
  • Reporting potential risks identified

Equality and Diversity

  • Support equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues
  • Acting in a way that recognises the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
  • Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
  • Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights

Quality

  • Strive to maintain quality within the practice
  • Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk

Where you'll work

82 Victoria Road
Oulton Broad
Lowestoft
Suffolk
NR33 9LU

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

POULTEC TRAINING LIMITED

Training course

Business administrator (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Skilled in the use of multiple IT packages and systems relevant to the organisation in order to: write letters or emails, create proposals, perform financial processes, record and analyse data. Examples include MS Office or equivalent packages. Able to choose the most appropriate IT solution to suit the business problem. Able to update and review databases, record information and produce data analysis where required.
  • Produces accurate records and documents including: emails, letters, files, payments, reports and proposals. Makes recommendations for improvements and present solutions to management. Drafts correspondence, writes reports and able to review others' work. Maintains records and files, handles confidential information in compliance with the organisation's procedures. Coaches others in the processes required to complete these tasks.
  • Exercises proactivity and good judgement. Makes effective decisions based on sound reasoning and is able to deal with challenges in a mature way. Seeks advice of more experienced team members when appropriate.
  • Builds and maintains positive relationships within their own team and across the organisation. Demonstrates ability to influence and challenge appropriately. Becomes a role model to peers and team members, developing coaching skills as they gain area knowledge.
  • Demonstrates good communication skills, whether face-to-face, on the telephone, in writing or on digital platforms. Uses the most appropriate channels to communicate effectively. Demonstrates agility and confidence in communications, carrying authority appropriately. Understands and applies social media solutions appropriately. Answers questions from inside and outside of the organisation, representing the organisation or department.
  • Completes tasks to a high standard. Demonstrates the necessary level of expertise required to complete tasks and applies themself to continuously improve their work. Is able to review processes autonomously and make suggestions for improvements. Shares administrative best-practice across the organisation e.g. coaches others to perform tasks correctly. Applies problem-solving skills to resolve challenging or complex complaints and is a key point of contact for addressing issues.
  • Takes responsibility for initiating and completing tasks, manages priorities and time in order to successfully meet deadlines. Positively manages the expectations of colleagues at all levels and sets a positive example for others in the workplace. Makes suggestions for improvements to working practice, showing understanding of implications beyond the immediate environment (e.g. impact on clients, suppliers, other parts of the organisation). Manages resources e.g. equipment or facilities. Organises meetings and events, takes minutes during meetings and creates action logs as appropriate. Takes responsibility for logistics e.g. travel and accommodation.
  • Uses relevant project management principles and tools to scope, plan, monitor and report. Plans required resources to successfully deliver projects. Undertakes and leads projects as and when required.

Training schedule

This training schedule has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 4)
  • Maths (grade 4)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • IT skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Customer care skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Initiative
  • Patience
  • Good attitude
  • Methodical

About this employer

6 GP Partner practice, involved in training with GP Registrars.   3 Nurse Practitioners, Nurse & Healthcare Assistant Team of 8, Reception/Admin team of 11, with Practice Manager and Assistant Practice Manager.

Victoria Road Surgery serves the Lowestoft area of NR33, From the bridges that divide Lowestoft to Morrison’s in Pakefield.

There are just over 10,000 patients at the surgery and the care offered includes routine clinician appointments and urgent on the day treatment.   Long-term condition appointments, blood tests, wound check, minor injury treatment, NHS health checks, Social Prescribing, Health and Wellbeing appointments, Mental Health Practitioners and Physiotherapy.

The surgery has a diverse patient population and some patients live in deprived areas, whereas some live in more affluent areas.

http://www.victoriaroadsurgery.nhs.uk (opens in new tab)

Disability Confident

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

Possible employment at the end of apprenticeship.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

POULTEC TRAINING LIMITED

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000033813.

Apply now

Closes on Friday 31 July 2026