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The Role of GP Receptionists and Care Navigators (Level 2)

First contact, patient trust, admin safety and team boundaries

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Working with GPs, nurses, pharmacists and the wider practice team

General practice is delivered by a team. Patients may be seen by GPs, nurses, healthcare assistants, clinical pharmacists, first contact physiotherapists, mental health practitioners, social prescribing link workers, care coordinators, paramedics, practice managers and community services.

Receptionists and care navigators help patients understand who can assist with their problem. That does not mean implying a GP is unavailable; it means explaining which professionals have the relevant skills and how the practice directs patients to suitable support.

Who makes up your local GP practice team? (NHS England Short Film)

Video: 2m 17s · Creator: Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System. YouTube Standard Licence.

This Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System video shows that practice teams include more than doctors and nurses. It opens with a receptionist explaining that asking routine questions helps staff direct patients to the right professional or to another local service.

The video introduces several roles. A social prescriber describes practical, non-medical support such as activity groups, benefits forms and help accessing community services. A physiotherapist explains that people with bone, muscle or joint problems may be booked directly with them instead of initially seeing a GP.

A paramedic describes home visits for patients who are too unwell or unable to attend the practice. The film also describes mental health support and ends by noting that answering receptionist questions helps patients reach appropriate care, because many people in the practice team can contribute to treatment.

Was this video a good fit for this page?

Good team working includes

Knowing local roles well enough to explain them simply.
Using approved pathways rather than personal preference.
Respecting each team member's scope and workload.
Giving clinicians clear information without unnecessary detail.
Feeding back when patients are confused by how roles are described.

Scenario

A patient says, "I asked for a doctor, not a pharmacist. Are you fobbing me off?" The local protocol says medication-review queries should usually go to the practice pharmacist first.

How can you explain the wider team without overstepping?

Explain that the pharmacist is part of the practice team and has specialist medicines expertise.
Avoid suggesting the patient is being refused care.
Use the practice's agreed wording about the route and the expected next step.
Do not make clinical claims about what the pharmacist will decide.
Escalate urgent symptoms, any serious concern, or if the patient refuses a route that may be unsafe to delay.

The mix of practice roles varies across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and between local areas. One practice may have an in-house pharmacist or first contact physiotherapist; another may use a local health board, federation, trust, cluster, HSCP or community pathway.

Staff should learn their local team and update that knowledge when services change. An outdated explanation can create patient mistrust and unsafe signposting.

Reception staff do not need to know every clinical detail, but they must know local roles, referral routes and when to check.

Optional: Not part of the course final assessment.

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Key Points

Please take a moment to review these points, reflect on their significance and consider how they apply to your own experiences.

Tick to confirm (optional):

Receptionists and care navigators should know local team roles well enough to explain them simply.
Follow approved referral pathways rather than personal preference.
Respect each team member’s scope and workload when directing patients.
Give clinicians clear, concise information without unnecessary clinical detail.
Use the practice’s agreed wording about routes and expected next steps.
Avoid making clinical claims about what another practitioner will decide.
Escalate urgent symptoms, serious concerns, or unsafe refusals immediately.
Keep local service knowledge updated; team mixes vary across the four nations.

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Course Snapshot

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Length: 60 minutes CPD (1.00 CE Credits)
Appropriate for: gp receptionist, care navigator, call handler, patient services advisor, practice administrator, front-desk staff, reception manager, medical secretary, practice manager
Course Price: Free
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Harvard

Mecourse Lifelong Learning (2026) ‘Working with GPs, nurses, pharmacists and the wider practice team’. Birmingham, UK: Mecourse Lifelong Learning [Online]. Available at: https://www.mecourse.com/the-role-of-gp-receptionists-and-care-navigators-working-with-gps-nurses-pharmacists-and-the-wider-practice-team [Accessed 13 May 2026].

Vancouver

Mecourse Lifelong Learning. Working with GPs, nurses, pharmacists and the wider practice team [Internet]. Birmingham, UK: Mecourse Lifelong Learning; 2026 May 10 [cited 2026 May 13]. Available from: https://www.mecourse.com/the-role-of-gp-receptionists-and-care-navigators-working-with-gps-nurses-pharmacists-and-the-wider-practice-team.

Chicago

Mecourse Lifelong Learning. “Working with GPs, nurses, pharmacists and the wider practice team.” 2026. https://www.mecourse.com/the-role-of-gp-receptionists-and-care-navigators-working-with-gps-nurses-pharmacists-and-the-wider-practice-team. Accessed May 13, 2026.

APA

Mecourse Lifelong Learning. (2026, May 10). Working with GPs, nurses, pharmacists and the wider practice team. https://www.mecourse.com/the-role-of-gp-receptionists-and-care-navigators-working-with-gps-nurses-pharmacists-and-the-wider-practice-team

IEEE

Mecourse Lifelong Learning, “Working with GPs, nurses, pharmacists and the wider practice team.” Mecourse Lifelong Learning. https://www.mecourse.com/the-role-of-gp-receptionists-and-care-navigators-working-with-gps-nurses-pharmacists-and-the-wider-practice-team (Accessed: May 13, 2026).

AMA

Mecourse Lifelong Learning. Working with GPs, nurses, pharmacists and the wider practice team. Mecourse Lifelong Learning. Published May 10, 2026. Accessed May 13, 2026. https://www.mecourse.com/the-role-of-gp-receptionists-and-care-navigators-working-with-gps-nurses-pharmacists-and-the-wider-practice-team.

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The Role of GP Receptionists and Care Navigators (Level 2)

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Working with GPs, nurses, pharmacists and the wider practice team

Who makes up your local GP practice team? (NHS England Short Film)

Good team working includes

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