Fixed-term Salaried GP (maternity cover)

Job summary

The Rycote Group are seeking a salaried GP on a 6 month fixed-term basis, to provide maternity cover at The Chiltern Surgery. There is the prospect of a longer-term appointment if this suits both parties. You will join a friendly and committed team based in the idyllic village of Watlington, South Oxfordshire. For reasons of continuity, we welcome applicants keen to work 5 sessions or more.

Nestled in at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, there is beautiful countryside on the doorstep, and excellent road links via the M40. Watlington is a historic market town, renowned for its thriving independent high street, and is a great place to live and work. This is a two site practice of approximately 8000 patients. GPs will have a primary base with their own patient list.

Our long-established Thame partnership consists of five GP partners and a managing partner. We are at an exciting time, having taken on the running of Chalgrove and Watlington surgeries this year. We have made several new GP appointments with the aim of creating a sustainable and supportive team. There are opportunities for those joining to shape the future of service provision.

The Rycote Partnership has a long history of teaching and training, and we offer mentorship to salaried colleagues, with additional support for newly qualified GPs. Watlington is a training-approved site, and we would encourage GP trainers and aspiring trainers to apply. Watlington will be hosting graduate entry Oxford medical students from 2026.

Main duties of the job

Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team you will exercise professional autonomy and clinical judgement in delivering high quality evidence-based care. You will take a pro rata share of routine and urgent clinical work, duty doctor, on-call and enhanced access commitments.

Benefits include:

Protected administrative time and a imminent move to 15 minute consultation times.

Training practice, with opportunities for GP trainers and medical student teaching.

Daily protected coffee time & regular social events to guard against silo working.

The practice participates in a programme of Protected Time for Learning 10 afternoons per annum.

Competitive remuneration - £11,500k minimum per session with consideration given to experience and generous enhancements for pro rata share of enhanced access.

Pro rata commitment to duty sessions made manageable by a shared approach.

Regular mentorship sessions including additional support for newly qualified GPs to build confidence and help embed them in the practice.

Protected time for learning and regular business, clinical governance, clinical effectiveness and primary health care team meetings.

Opportunity to be involved in specific care areas, including weekly cover of on site residential/nursing home, joint injections, coil fitting.

Future career development opportunities, including GP training, care home medicine, PCN involvement, development of specialist interests, partnership.

About us

We are a Partnership of 5 clinical partners and a managing partner, taking on the delivery of high quality care to the people of Watlington and Chalgrove at the Chiltern and Brook surgeries. We have a supportive and non-hierarchical approach, with partners taking a full share of clinical work. We are committed to traditional patient-centred care. We offer a mix of telephone, face-to-face and online consultations bringing together the best of the old and new.

Watlington and Chalgrove are approved training practices, with opportunity for a GP trainers and for teaching medical students.

There is an established MDT, with GPs, nurses, healthcare assistants, paramedic, pharmacist and a social care support team, offering a holistic approach to looking after our patients. The clinical team is assisted by excellent reception and administrative teams.

Watlington and District Residential and Nursing Home is based at the Watlington site, and is rating outstanding by CQC. There is opportunity for involvement in the weekly ward round for those with an interest.

There are strong secondary care services with OUH, RBH, community hospitals in Wallingford, Henley on Thames and Abingdon. There is close working with a community palliative care team, and district nurses based at the Watlington premises.

The Chiltern and Brook Surgery is rated good by CQC and the PCN achieves very high patient satisfaction scores of over 90%.

Details

• Date posted: 06 September 2026
• Pay scheme: Other
• Salary: Depending on experience Minimum 11,500 per session per annum, enhanced access additional
• Contract: Fixed term
• Duration: 6 months
• Working pattern: Part-time, Compressed hours
• Reference number: A4806-26-0020
• Job locations: The Rycote Group, Chiltern Surgery, Hill Road, Watlington, Oxfordshire, OX49 5AF, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

JOB TITLE: FIXED-TERM SALARIED GENERAL PRACTITIONER (MATERNITY COVER)

REPORTS TO: THE GP PARTNERS / MANAGING PARTNER

HOURS: Minimum 5 sessions - applicants looking for more sessions welcomed

Job summary

To work as an autonomous general practitioner integrated with the primary health care team

To possess and demonstrate the full range of knowledge, skills and professional behaviours expected of a GP

To exercise professional autonomy and clinical judgement in delivering high quality evidence-based care

To participate fully in the work of the GP team, including routine and urgent clinical work, duty doctor, on-call and extended hours rotas.

Rycote Practice ethos

The Rycote Practice is committed to delivering the best possible care and to ensuring that patients physical, psychological and social needs are met. Our care is defined by the values that all staff share and is summed up in the term "Excellent Care by Working Together". We believe that continuity of care helps to ensure high standards and therefore every patient has a named GP allocated to their care. The practice is committed to the founding principles of the NHS, that it should be free to all.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive and friendly environment in which to work and one where all staff are encouraged to contribute to the development of the practice. As a group the GPs are mutually supportive and non-hierarchical. Salaried GPs are invited to attend practice business meetings, to share in the decision-making process and implementation of subsequent initiatives.

Job responsibilities

Clinical Care

Provide appropriate care in the assessment and management of patients with a full range of healthcare problems including acute illnesses and chronic disease management.

Work autonomously but in partnership with the clinical, reception, administration and management teams.

Assess patients with undifferentiated healthcare problems

• Take responsibility for assessing and managing patients, prioritizing clinical need, determining differential diagnosis and initiating appropriate holistic, evidence based care in accordance with practice, national and ICB guidelines
• Become the usual doctor to a defined group of patients on a pro rata basis with sessional commitment
• Consult at times required by the practice and in keeping with other GPs provide both face to face / telephone consultations and home visits when required
• Record all consultations on a contemporaneous basis
• Whenever possible adopt a structured approach to record keeping e.g. using appropriate clinical care templates
• Maintain the clinical record in an optimum form including an up-to-date list of active clinical problems and medication
• View and respond to laboratory and imaging results for own patients on the day of receipt
• Respond to prescription requests / complete medicines management tasks on the day of receipt in accordance with local / national guidance
• Respond in a timely fashion to miscellaneous clinical and administrative functions which are communicated in a variety of ways (e.g. by email and Emis tasks)
• Read and action correspondence for own patients and those of absent colleagues via Docman in a timely and appropriate manner
• Write or dictate appropriate patient referrals promptly and take steps to ensure referrals are not overlooked
• Participate in local and national enhanced services and any other quality initiatives agreed by the practice
• Share in the duty doctor rota on a pro-rata basis according to sessional commitment (see separate documentDuties of the Duty Doctor)
• Ensure clinical practice is safe and effective and remains within the boundaries of competence
• Ensure resources are utilized cost effectively and contribute to identifying alternative, more cost effective resources

Salaried GPs are encouraged to develop areas of clinical expertise on behalf of the practice and update colleagues on latest best practice.

Participation in teaching and training

The Rycote practice places a strong emphasis on both undergraduate and postgraduate education, having been a teaching and training practice for many years. We currently have four GP trainers and Thame hosts GP registrars from both the Oxford and Aylesbury schemes. We are unique in taking both 5th year and 1st year graduate-entry course (GEC) medical students from Oxford and occasionally students from other medical schools. We aim to develop teaching and training across all three sites.

All GPs assist in their education and supervision of allied health professionals, such as nursing and ARRS teams as required.

Meetings and Administration

Salaried GPs are invited to participate in and contribute to the Rycote management agenda at all practice-wide meetings including

• Business meetings
• Clinical effectiveness meetings
• Primary health care team meetings
• Clinical governance meetings
• Protected time for learning educational events
• Miscellaneous other clinical, audit or educational meetings

And to

• Contribute to the further development and ongoing evaluation of clinical and operational policies within the Practice.
• Provide clinical expertise and advice to other members of the practice team as required

Enhanced Access

Salaried GPs are expected to take a pro rata share of Enhanced Access cover. This is remunerated at 1.75x your normal pay.

Professional conduct

All GPs are required to:

• Maintain GMC registration
• Practice at all times in accordance the GMCs Good Medical Practice
• Complete an annual NHS appraisal as part of the current 5 yearly revalidation cycle
• Maintain membership of a professional indemnity organization commensurate with clinical workload and scope of practice
• Comply with all Practice and ICB protocols, procedures, guidelines and policies
• Act as a resource to health care professionals, acting as a professional, visual competent role model at all times

Changes to Jobs

All staff are expected to undertake reasonable additional duties and responsibilities in order to meet the evolving service needs of the Practice. Changes should be made in consultation with staff. Variations to job descriptions can be a common occurrence and do not in themselves justify a reconsideration of the grading of a post.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).