Gemma brings hands-on experience to new Hereward role 

New practice manager Gemma Wright is drawing on a career spanning frontline, leadership and Primary Care Network roles as she gets to know staff and patients at The Hereward Practice in Bourne.

She has been welcomed by her new colleagues and patients as she begins this new phase. Her career in GP practices started after university when she joined a local surgery, spending around a decade there, firstly doing scanning and insurance work before training as a phlebotomist, which she loved. She had her children and worked in the family business before joining another local practice, managing a reception team of 22 before becoming lead medical secretary and supporting the practice manager.

Her next move was to a Primary Care Network, working with 15 GP practices across Grantham and Sleaford. As personalised care team lead, she helped establish a neighbourhood team and directed the work of the social prescribers. The role gave her valuable insight into how practices and wider community services work together.

Gemma then became practice manager, a role she had always wanted, at a relatively small GP surgery in Spalding. It involved all aspects of management from staff, finances, building maintenance and more. It was an intense learning experience that paved the way for her step up to The Hereward Practice, which is twice the size of her previous one.

Gemma’s extensive background means she understands the processes and pressures in GP practices and has a unique perspective, having managed and worked on reception, supported secretarial teams, taken blood samples and led staff. She can offer practical help to colleagues grounded in first-hand experience and empathy.

She said: ‘As I have done so much, both within practices and across a Primary Care Network I can see how roles mesh and interlock. I am practical and there is not much I wouldn’t do. I know the pressures that people can have, from being the first face people see on reception, to working behind the scenes making sure everything, from staff to computer systems, runs smoothly. GP practices are busy places where you must be ready for all eventualities and that is what makes it such a demanding yet rewarding career. I am coming to this role from lived experience and am taking it one day at a time.’    

Gemma is also benefiting from the support available across the wider Lakeside Healthcare Partnership, including from fellow practice managers. She is also uniquely placed in that Hereward’s former practice manager, Tracey, is still working there, having stepped away from the role that she had for seven years: ‘It is positive that Tracey is still here because she has a wealth of knowledge, so if I have an issue, with something technical or anything then she is still here to help with things like systems and the quirks of the building! I'd also like to really thank Denika Wilmot, Operations and Compliance Manager, as well, who has also been really supportive, helping me settle in and learn the ropes.' 

Lakeside’s central team, which helps with functions around finance, building management, human resources and compliance, means that Gemma has more time to focus on the day-to-day running of the practice than she would have at a stand-alone practice.

Her main priority for the first few months at the Hereward Practice is getting to know colleagues, patients and processes before making any significant changes: ‘Coming in from outside Lakeside means I can bring ideas from other practices, but I also recognise there is a lot to learn. Everyone has been very welcoming and open, and I am taking it one day at a time.’

In her spare time Gemma has been a keen endurance athlete and swimmer. She completed an Ironman a few years ago and still enjoys open water swimming with Coniston Water being her favourite swimming destination in the UK.    

With three children and a new role close to home, Gemma is looking forward to combining her experience with a fresh perspective as she helps lead The Hereward Practice into its next chapter.

Published: Oct 5, 2026