Reception Manager

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job title Reception Manager

Line manager Practice Manager

Accountable to Practice Manager and GP Partners

Location Western Road Medical Centre, Romford

Hours 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, scheduled between 7.45 am and 7.00 pm. Working pattern to be agreed in accordance with service requirements.

Job Purpose

To lead and manage the day-to-day delivery of Reception, Workflow and associated administrative services, ensuring that patients receive safe, responsive, and professional service. The post-holder will support the Practice Manager and GP Partners by maintaining effective staffing, patient access, administrative workflows, information governance, and continuous service improvement.

Key Responsibilities1. Patient Access and Experience

Act as a senior point of contact, alongside the Practice Manager and Assistant Practice Manager, for patient queries, concerns and feedback relating to reception and administrative services.

Ensure patient concerns and reception-related complaints are handled promptly, professionally and empathetically in accordance with practice policy, escalating where appropriate.

Promote excellent customer service, care navigation and signposting so that patients are supported to access the most appropriate service or clinician.

Monitor reception and telephone service standards, ensuring calls and patient enquiries are handled promptly, courteously and professionally.

Oversee the effective administration of urgent, routine, same-day, telephone, online and face-to-face appointment access in line with practice procedures.

Monitor patient feedback and survey responses, identify themes, and recommend practical improvements.

Ensure patient-facing information is accurate, accessible and up to date, including posters, leaflets, website content and waiting room information.

Support digital access and inclusion, including NHS App and online service promotion, while ensuring alternative routes remain available for patients who need additional support.

Ensure communication is respectful, inclusive, and responsive to individual communication needs and vulnerability.

2. Operational and Administrative Management

Oversee the daily operation of Reception, Workflow, and associated administrative functions, ensuring work is completed accurately and within agreed timescales.

Manage appointment book administration, clinical sessions, clinic changes, cancellations and room allocation for GPs, nursing staff, ARRS staff and other clinicians.

Monitor and reallocate workloads to maintain service continuity during staff shortages, high demand, system issues, or other disruptions.

Arrange temporary staffing cover where required to maintain safe staffing levels and continuity of service.

Oversee clinical correspondence, document workflow, tasks, recalls, registrations, deductions, FP69 processes and other routine practice administration where applicable.

Oversee private fee administration, including insurance and medical reports, copy medical record requests and Subject Access Requests, in line with legislation and practice procedures.

Oversee the collection, recording and reconciliation of patient payments and private fee income in accordance with practice financial procedures.

Support resolution of clinical system, telephony and IT issues, escalating to the appropriate internal lead or external provider.

Attend and contribute to relevant staff, complaints, significant event and service improvement meetings.

Complete other duties appropriate to the role and level of responsibility when reasonably required.

3. Staff Leadership and Development

Provide visible day-to-day leadership, supervision, coaching and support to Reception, Workflow and associated administrative staff.

Lead calmly, fairly and professionally, particularly during periods of high demand or operational pressure.

Line manage Reception staff, including induction, probation, regular reviews, appraisal and day-to-day performance support.

Assist with recruitment, selection, onboarding and induction of reception and administrative staff.

Identify training needs and monitor completion of mandatory training, role-specific competencies, and policy awareness requirements.

Prepare and review staff rotas, approve leave in line with policy and maintain safe and appropriate service cover.

Prepare and submit authorised overtime and other relevant staffing information within required payroll timescales.

Monitor attendance, punctuality, performance and conduct, addressing concerns consistently and escalating to the Practice Manager as appropriate.

Undertake return-to-work discussions, welfare conversations and delegated attendance reviews, maintaining appropriate records.

Support disciplinary, grievance, capability, and conflict resolution processes where required.

Promote staff wellbeing, engagement, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

Organise non-clinical team meetings and maintain notes and action logs where appropriate.

4. Records and Information Governance

Ensure patient information, correspondence, and clinical system workflows are handled accurately, promptly and confidentially.

Ensure staff comply with confidentiality, data protection, information governance, records management and Caldicott principles.

Oversee appropriate handling of Subject Access Requests, third-party requests, insurance requests and copy medical record requests, escalating complex cases.

Promote accurate recording, delegated coding, safe document handling, and clear audit trails.

Report actual or suspected information governance incidents promptly in accordance with practice procedures.

5. Quality, Governance and Improvement

Monitor quality, safety and performance across Reception, Workflow and private patient administration.

Identify risks, bottlenecks, trends, and recurring issues and recommend practical improvements.

Support audits, quality improvement work and the review and implementation of policies, standard operating procedures, templates, and local guidance.

Promote learning from complaints, patient feedback, significant events, incidents, and near misses.

Support relevant preparation for external reviews, inspections, and contractual assurance.

6. Safety, Premises and Safeguarding

Maintain Reception and waiting areas as safe, tidy, professional and welcoming environments.

Report premises faults, health and safety hazards, infection prevention risks and security concerns promptly.

Act as a designated Fire Marshal where required and support evacuation, emergency, lone-working, panic alarm and security procedures.

Promote appropriate infection prevention and control measures in reception and public areas.

Ensure staff understand safeguarding responsibilities, recognise concerns and escalate promptly to the appropriate clinician, safeguarding lead or Practice Manager.

Support sensitive communication with vulnerable patients, carers, and families.

General Responsibilities

Maintain strict confidentiality and disclose information only to authorised persons in accordance with practice policy and data protection requirements.

Work in accordance with health and safety, infection prevention, equality, diversity and inclusion requirements.

Communicate clearly and professionally with patients, carers, colleagues and external organisations.

Participate in training and appraisal and maintain the knowledge and skills required for the role.

Work in line with practice policies, procedures, and values.

Review of the Role

This job description outlines the main duties of the post and is not exhaustive. It may be reviewed and amended to reflect changes in practice services, systems and organisational requirements, following appropriate discussion with the post-holder.

Person Specification

Other

Essential

• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
• Occupational Health clearance

Experience

Essential

• Experience of leading or managing a reception, administrative or customer-facing team.
• Experience of workforce planning, rota management and workload allocation.
• Experience of staff supervision, attendance, performance management, appraisal and development.
• Experience of handling patient complaints, concerns and difficult conversations professionally.

Desirable

• Experience of working in NHS general practice, primary care or a comparable healthcare setting.
• Experience of workflow management, Subject Access Requests, medical records or private patient administration.

Skills

Essential

• Understanding of patient access, care navigation and supporting vulnerable or digitally excluded patients.
• Understanding of confidentiality, information governance, data protection and safeguarding responsibilities.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships.
• Strong organisational, prioritisation and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage competing demands.
• Competent IT skills, including Microsoft Office and use of EMIS Web or a comparable clinical system.
• Professional, resilient, approachable and able to motivate and support staff while maintaining high service standards.

Desirable

• Understanding of CQC expectations, quality improvement and governance within general practice.

Qualifications

Essential

• Good standard of literacy and numeracy demonstrated through relevant qualifications or equivalent experience.

Desirable

• Management, leadership, AMSPAR or healthcare administration qualification.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Western Road Medical Centre

Address

99 Western Road

Romford

Essex

RM1 3LS

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://westernroad.co.uk/