Reception Manager

Job description

Job responsibilities

Reception and Front of House Management

Manage the day-to-day operation of reception services.

Undertake fixed shifts on reception and cover holiday and sick leave.

Ensure patients receive a professional, courteous and efficient service.

Monitor reception performance and patient access to services.

Support the implementation of practice policies and procedures.

Resolve routine patient concerns and complaints where appropriate.

Ensure reception processes are compliant with NHS, practice and information governance requirements.

Maintain service standards across telephone, face-to-face and digital patient contact channels.

Staff Management and Supervision

Provide day-to-day line management for reception staff.

Undertake staff inductions, training and ongoing support.

Manage staff attendance, sickness reporting and return-to-work processes.

Conduct probation reviews and performance discussions where delegated.

Identify training needs and coordinate development opportunities.

Promote a positive, supportive and high-performing team culture.

Support the Practice Manager with recruitment activities and interviews.

Prepare for and undertake annual staff appraisals, ensuring objectives, performance discussions and development needs are reviewed and documented.

Rota Management and Workforce Planning

Produce and maintain reception staff rotas.

Produce and maintain clinical rotas in advance and sign off with assigned GP Partner.

Upload all clinical rotas for practice, third party and support PCN staff into EMIS, ensuring all holiday, study leave and/or shift switches are included.

Ensure adequate staffing levels are always maintained, booking locum GPs as required.

Coordinate annual leave requests across the reception team and maintain accurate holiday records.

Arrange and manage cover for sickness, annual leave and other absences.

Monitor staffing capacity and escalate concerns to the Practice Manager.

Review workforce utilisation and recommend service improvements.

Appointment and Patient Access Management

Monitor appointment utilisation across the reception team in line with the surgeries booking protocols.

Support the management of appointment templates where delegated.

Monitor outstanding tasks and Kliniks to ensure appropriate response rates.

Coordinate the chasing of patient responses and appointment outcomes.

Support initiatives designed to improve access and reduce appointment wastage.

Work collaboratively with clinicians and administrative teams to improve patient pathways.

Manage ENT appointment pathways, ensuring booking lists are reviewed regularly, appointments are appropriately allocated and DNA (Did Not Attend) appointments are actioned promptly to minimise further missed appointments.

Coordinate patient recall programmes as directed by the practice and clinical teams, including vaccination campaigns, long-term condition reviews and other targeted care initiatives.

Monitor, collate and submit NHS Friends and Family Test returns and support the analysis of patient feedback to inform service improvements.

Produce and review activity reports and analyses, including ENT service and telephone data, to support service monitoring and improvement.

IT Systems Administration and Support

Act as a key point of contact for practice IT systems.

Set up new staff members on all required clinical and non-clinical systems.

Create, amend and remove user accounts in accordance with practice procedures.

Coordinate onboarding to ensure all system access, equipment and accounts are operational before staff commence employment.

Support staff in the use of practice systems and digital tools.

Liaise with external IT providers and support organisations to resolve technical issues.

Maintain records of user accounts, permissions and IT assets.

Assist with software updates, equipment deployment and system changes.

Support compliance with GDPR, Information Governance and Cyber Security requirements.

Maintain and administer patient arrival and call-in screen systems to ensure effective patient flow and communication within the practice.

Ensure all appointment types created within EMIS are appropriately mapped to NHS GPAD (General Practice Appointment Data) reporting requirements.

Systems include:

EMIS Clinical systems

NHS Mail

AccuRX

Microsoft 365

Docman

NHS Smartcards

Telephony systems

Clinical and administrative reporting tools

Google Forms

Operational Support

Support the Practice Manager in the delivery of practice objectives and service improvements.

Assist in reviewing and improving administrative processes.

Monitor workloads and identify operational risks.

Support business continuity arrangements.

Assist with practice audits, reporting and data collection activities.

Participate in meetings and contribute to service development initiatives.

Assist with and maintain key governance and system audits, including user access audits and system permissions reviews.

Reception Responsibilities

The post holder is expected to maintain competence in reception duties and provide direct operational support.

This includes:

Covering assigned reception shifts (minimum of 2 across the week)

Covering reception shifts during periods of absence, annual leave or operational pressure.

Answering incoming telephone calls.

Booking and managing appointments.

Processing patient enquiries.

Registering temporary patients and urgent registrations (when registration administrator not on site)

Managing patient Proxy Access.

Managing patient Opt-Out requests.

Managing incoming correspondence and documentation to the reception team.

Liaising with clinical staff regarding urgent patient matters.

Facilities and Premises Management

Develop and maintain a working knowledge of the practice premises, building systems and maintenance requirements.

Act as a point of contact for engineers, contractors and service providers attending the practice alongside the Practice Manager and PM Assistant.

Undertake weekly fire alarm testing and maintain associated records in accordance with practice procedures.

Support the Practice Manager with premises maintenance, health and safety compliance and facilities-related operational matters.

Assist with hands-on maintenance and operational tasks where appropriate to ensure the smooth running of the practice environment.

Person Specification

Key Attributes

• Flexible and willing to provide hands-on support.
• Patient-focused and professional.
• Reliable and highly organised.
• Approachable and supportive leader.
• Proactive and solutions focused.
• Technically confident and comfortable managing multiple systems.
• Able to work under pressure while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
• This role combines operational leadership, workforce management, patient access oversight and IT coordination to ensure the smooth running of the practice and the delivery of high-quality patient services.

Experience

• Experience
• Previous experience supervising or managing staff.
• Experience working within a healthcare, primary care or customer service environment.
• Experience producing staff rotas and managing leave requests.
• Experience using multiple IT systems
• Experience training and onboarding staff.
• Experience handling confidential information appropriately.
• Knowledge and Skills
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Strong IT literacy and ability to learn new systems quickly.
• Ability to troubleshoot basic IT issues and liaise effectively with IT support providers.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to prioritise competing demands in a busy environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Good understanding of patient confidentiality and information governance.
• Ability to lead and motivate a team.

• Desirable
• Experience working within a GP Practice or NHS Primary Care setting.
• Knowledge of EMIS Web, AccuRX, Docman and telephony systems.
• Understanding of NHS contractual and operational requirements.
• Experience of workforce planning and service improvement.
• Management qualification or equivalent experience.

Qualifications

• Ideally educated to at least A level standard
• GCSE English and Mathematics (or equivalent).
• Evidence of continuous professional development.

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

Millbarn Medical Centre

Address

Millbarn Medical Centre

Beaconsfield Medical Centre

Walkwood Rise

Beaconsfield

Buckinghamshire

HP9 1TX

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://millbarnmedicalcentre.co.uk/