Patient Services Team Leader

Job description

Job responsibilities

Primary responsibilities:

The following are the core responsibilities of the Patient Services Team Leader. On occasions there may be a requirement to carry out other tasks. This will be dependent on factors such as workload and staffing levels:

Core Principles

• To ensure confidentiality of information is preserved at all times whether at or away from work.
• To follow practice procedures to ensure that Caldicott Guardian and Security requirements are met at all times.
• To follow procedures to ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998
• To follow all practice protocols concerned with the maintenance of ethical practice.
• To support and participate in initiatives to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all practice users. This includes following procedures to ensure the control of potential hazards to health and safety.
• To respect, support, contribute to and take personal responsibility for implementing commitment to Diversity and Equality of Opportunity
• To contribute to a culture of continuous improvement
• To perform duties to standards required by the practice in accordance with quality assurance.
• To demonstrate commitment to Continuing Professional Development
• To demonstrate computer literacy

Leadership and People Management

• Provide strong leadership and operational oversight of the Patient Services Team to ensure a highquality, consistent patient journey.
• Support prioritisation of work between PST and back office admin team to ensure business needs are met.
• Line manage PST staff and relevant locum personnel, with responsibility for performance management, attendance, conduct, appraisals, and professional development.
• Foster a high-performing, motivated, and patient-focused team culture, using operational data, performance metrics, and business intelligence to identify opportunities for service improvement, productivity enhancement, and workforce optimisation.
• Monitor, analyse, and report on key operational and patient service performance indicators, using data-driven insights to support decision-making, resource planning, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Assess staffing and workload demands and, where necessary, provide hands on operational support to ensure service continuity.
• Manage staff rotas and annual leave effectively to maintain appropriate staffing levels and safe service delivery.
• Ensure all team members remain compliant with mandatory training and role specific competencies.

Patient Experience, Complaints and Feedback

• Lead the operational management of complaints and compliments across the practice, ensuring timely, professional, and compliant handling in line with practice policy.
• Act as an escalation point for complex or sensitive issues, working to deescalate concerns and minimise formal complaints.
• Ensure all complaints and outcomes are accurately recorded on the appropriate systems e.g. TeamNet and escalated to relevant clinicians or managers as required.

Training and Team Development

• Ensure robust onboarding, training, and induction for new PST members, delegating elements where appropriate.
• Develop and maintain a buddy system to support new starters.
• Use performance and quality data to identify training needs, monitor effectiveness of interventions, and support continuous professional development across the team
• Provide ongoing coaching, refresher training, and support to ensure staff remain confident, competent, and consistent in their roles.
• Identify skill gaps and performance concerns and take timely, proportionate action.
• Maintain uptodate patient services protocols, ensuring alignment with current regulations and best practice.
• Lead regular team meetings and promote continuous learning and development opportunities.

HR, Workforce and Practice Coordination

• Work closely with the HR Manager to coordinate all new starters, ensuring a streamlined process including:
• System access e.g. SystmOne, Xon, Teamnet
• IT accounts
• DBS checks
• Induction for staff, trainees, and locums
• Manage leavers effectively, ensuring prompt removal of system, IT, and building access in line with policy.
• Maintain close working relationships with GP Partners, PST Manager, the Operations Manager, and the Business Manager to escalate risks, staffing issues, or service concerns.

Building, Facilities and IT Support

• Act as a primary point of contact for building related matters and contractors.
• Ensure compliance with safety procedures, including completion and recording of weekly fire alarm testing.
• Oversee building access arrangements, including opening and locking procedures.
• Liaise with the cleaning contractor to ensure cleanliness and suitability of the working environment.
• Provide first line support for low level IT issues and escalate to the IT Helpdesk where required.
• Ensure essential equipment is available and fit for purpose, including laptops for interpreter and remote services.

Practice Support and Service Resilience

• Support the wider practice team during periods of high demand, ensuring workload is shared appropriately and patient needs are met.
• Proactively identify operational risks and areas for improvement within patient services and escalate appropriately.

General

• Ensuring confidentiality is maintained at all times.
• Dealing with all telephone calls professionally
• Ensuring excellent customer care skills are used with all parties.
• Taking messages as appropriate and ensuring the message is passed on to the appropriate member of the practice or associated organizations whilst annotating and recording details such that they can be reviewed and retrieved at a later date if required.
• Ensuring probity in all financial dealings
• Any other duties assigned by the partners or line manager.

Upholding Quality

• Alerting other team members to issues of quality and risk.
• Assessing own performance and taking accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
• Contributing to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance.
• Working effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.
• Effectively managing own time, workload, and resources.
• Adhering to Practice dress policy.
• Being punctual at all times.

Communicating

• Communicate effectively with other team members.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
• Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Personal/ Professional Development

• Taking responsibility for own developmental learning and performance.
• Taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal development.
• Working with management on any new training requirements.
• Demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

Contributing to the implementation of services

• Participating in implementation of new services where appropriate

For further responsibilities please see the attached job description.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• IT and Staff Performance Monitoring Skills
• Essential
• Competent user of Microsoft Office applications including Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams.
• Confident in learning and using practice and NHS digital systems.
• Experience using performance data, reports and metrics to monitor team productivity and service delivery.
• Ability to analyse trends, identify performance issues and implement solutions.
• Experience monitoring KPIs, service standards, rota adherence and workload management.
• Ability to use data to support staff performance reviews, supervision and development discussions.
• Experience producing reports and presenting performance information to management.
• Understanding of information governance, GDPR and data confidentiality requirements.
• Ability to support staff in the effective use of digital systems and processes.

Key Leadership Competencies

• Leading through example.
• Performance management through data and metrics.
• Coaching and developing individuals and teams.
• Change management and service improvement.
• Operational planning and resource management.
• Patient centred decision making.
• Digital confidence and data-led management.

Experience

• Soft Skills
• Essential
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills.
• Ability to communicate clearly, confidently and professionally with patients, colleagues and external stakeholders.
• Strong customer service focus with a commitment to delivering an excellent patient experience.
• Empathetic, approachable and able to support staff and patients in challenging situations.
• Ability to remain calm, resilient and professional when working under pressure.
• Strong problem solving and decision making skills.
• Ability to manage conflict and handle difficult conversations effectively and sensitively.
• Positive, proactive and adaptable approach to work.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Commitment to supporting, motivating and developing others.
• Demonstrates integrity, professionalism and confidentiality at all times.

• Experience using Systm One or other clinical systems.
• Experience using telephony reporting systems and call performance metrics.
• Knowledge of NHS digital systems and reporting tools.

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

Bowling Highfield Medical Practice

Address

Rooley Lane

Bradford

West Yorkshire

BD4 7SS

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.bowlinghallmedicalpractice.co.uk/