Medical secretary in the NHS

Most NHS medical secretaries sit at band 3 or band 4, which in England means £25,760 to £31,157 a year from 1 April 2026. The job centres on turning consultants’ dictation into clinic letters, managing diaries and waiting lists, and being the contact point for patients and GPs about a particular clinical team. You need fast, accurate typing and a working knowledge of medical terminology.

The work itself

Each medical secretary usually supports one or more consultants or a whole specialty team, such as cardiology, orthopaedics or paediatrics. The core task is typing letters from digital dictation: clinic letters to GPs, discharge summaries, referral letters and reports. Many trusts now use speech recognition, so part of the job is correcting machine-produced text, which still needs a good ear for medical language.

Around that, a typical week involves:

• managing the consultant’s diary, clinics and theatre lists
• dealing with patient calls about appointments, results and waiting times
• chasing test results and making sure they reach the clinician
• tracking patients on waiting lists against referral-to-treatment targets
• arranging meetings and taking minutes
• filing results and correspondence in electronic records

The volume of letters can be heavy, and typing backlogs are a recurring problem in busy departments. Sensitive information crosses your desk all day, such as cancer diagnoses or safeguarding letters, so confidentiality and tact matter.

Medical terminology

You do not need clinical training, but you do need to spell and understand the terms that appear in letters: drug names, anatomy, procedures and abbreviations. A secretary in dermatology hears different words from one in neurology. Most people learn the specialty’s vocabulary on the job, helped by a terminology course or reference book. Colleges and distance learning providers offer courses in medical terminology and medical secretarial practice, and some are recognised by employers.

Band 3 or band 4

Band	Typical role	Pay from 1 April 2026 (England)
3	Medical secretary, medical typist	£25,760 to £27,476
4	Senior medical secretary, team secretary with pathway duties	£28,392 to £31,157

Band 4 posts usually carry more independent work, such as managing a waiting list, supervising typists or coordinating a whole service. Band 3 reaches its top point after two years and band 4 after three. Scotland’s band 3 runs from £29,061 to £31,364 and band 4 from £31,492 to £34,254.

On band 3 you pay 6.5% into the NHS Pension Scheme. At the top of band 4 (£31,157) the rate is 8.3%. The take-home pay calculator gives the net monthly figure, and NHS admin jobs: bands 2 to 4 explained compares the admin grades.

Getting the job

Medical secretary adverts usually ask for:

• typing or audio typing at a stated speed, sometimes tested at interview
• GCSE English (or equivalent), and often a level 3 qualification in administration or business
• a medical secretarial or terminology qualification, or the willingness to get one
• experience with Microsoft Office and email

Experience as a ward clerk, receptionist or outpatient booking clerk is a common route in, because you already know the hospital systems. Legal secretaries and other experienced audio typists also move across. For the supporting statement, give specific examples against each essential criterion; the guide on how to write an NHS supporting statement shows the structure that panels score.

Hours and terms

Most medical secretary posts are weekday office hours, and part-time and job share arrangements are common. Some trusts offer hybrid working. Full-time NHS staff get 27 days’ annual leave and eight public holidays on appointment, increasing to 29 days after five years and 33 after ten years of NHS service.

NHS sick pay rises with service, from one month’s full pay and two months’ half pay in the first year (half pay after four months’ service) to six months of each after five years.

Typing tests and interviews

Many trusts test applicants on the day. Expect an audio typing exercise using a short piece of real-style dictation, sometimes with medical terms, marked for speed and accuracy. Some also ask you to format a letter, prioritise a list of tasks or deal with a role-played phone call from an anxious patient. The interview itself usually includes values questions, such as how you would handle a patient asking for results you are not allowed to give, or what you would do if you found a letter sent to the wrong GP.

Practise your typing with medical vocabulary before the interview, because spelling of drug names and anatomy is where most errors happen. If you have a disability that affects typing tests, you can ask for reasonable adjustments at any stage of recruitment.

Progression

Experienced secretaries can move up to senior or lead secretary, medical secretaries’ manager, service or pathway coordinator, or into operational management. Some move sideways into clinical coding, where medical terminology knowledge is directly useful. Current openings appear under NHS admin jobs.