Reception Team Lead in Newcastle upon Tyne

We are excited to recruit two full-time Reception Team Leads to join our friendly and supportive team at Holmside Medical Group on an 18-month fixed-term basis. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced receptionist or team leader who is passionate about delivering excellent patient service and supporting team development within a busy GP practice.

As Reception Team Lead, you will supervise and support our reception team, helping to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the front-of-house service while providing high-quality patient navigation and administrative support to our multidisciplinary team. At Holmside Medical Group, we are committed to providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare to the diverse communities of the West End of Newcastle. You will play a key role in ensuring patients receive timely access to care while supporting staff wellbeing, training, and continuous service improvement.

We are a forward-thinking practice that values teamwork, inclusion, and innovation, making this an ideal role for someone who enjoys leadership, collaboration, and improving patient experience.

Main duties of the job:

• The Reception Team Lead will provide day-to-day leadership and supervision to the reception team, ensuring the delivery of a professional, efficient and patient-focused front-of-house service.
• The post-holder will support staff development, coordinate reception rotas, and provide guidance and training to ensure team members are confident and up to date with practice processes.
• The role involves overseeing the effective management of the practice appointment system, supporting patient access through advanced patient navigation, and ensuring that enquiries from patients, clinicians and external agencies are handled promptly and appropriately.
• The Reception Team Lead will also undertake a range of reception and administrative duties including responding to telephone and online requests, processing patient information, coordinating communication for the clinical team and supporting recall processes.

Working closely with the wider management and multidisciplinary team, the post-holder will help maintain high standards of service delivery, promote collaborative working, and contribute to continuous improvement within the practice.

About us:

The purpose of Holmside Medical Group is to provide high quality, compassionate family GP services to the diverse population of the West End of Newcastle. We put patients at the centre of everything we do, reaching out to all members of our community and recognising the unique needs, experiences, and challenges they face.

We are committed to understanding and addressing health inequalities by listening carefully to our patients and innovating our services to meet specific needs, particularly for those at risk of poorer health outcomes. Through a forward-thinking, flexible team of local GPs and healthcare professionals, we strive to deliver excellent, accessible healthcare.

Job responsibilities:

• To be responsible for the leadership and supervision of a team of receptionists, ensuring all reception duties are performed effectively and to the required standard, meeting the objectives of the organisation.
• To support the management team in promoting ED&I, SHEF, quality and continuous improvement, confidentiality, collaborative working, service delivery, learning and development and carry out other duties as directed by the management team.
• To be responsible for undertaking a wide range of reception duties and the provision of general support to the multidisciplinary team.
• To act as the lead for the central point of contact for patients and be responsible for coordinating the distribution of information, messages and enquiries for the clinical team, liaising with multi-disciplinary team members and external agencies such as secondary care and community service providers.
• In addition, the post-holder will support the multi-disciplinary team, providing administrative support as required, in line with the needs of the organisation.

Duties can include, but are not limited to, advanced patient navigation, patient recall, staff training, booking appointments, processing of information (electronic and hard copy) in a timely manner and in accordance with current policies.

The post-holder will be an integral part of the general practice team.

Primary key responsibilities:

• Build and maintain a collaborative relationship up and down the chain from reception to management.
• Monitor the practice appointment system and ensure capacity is maximised.
• Process personal, telephone and e-requests for appointments.
• Support clinical staff with total triage administration.
• Answer incoming phone calls, transferring calls or dealing with the caller's request appropriately.
• Signpost patients to the correct service with advanced navigation skills.
• Initiate contact with and respond to, requests from patients, team members and external agencies.
• Ensure that documentation is correctly filed and photocopied as required.
• Oversee relevant patient information as required.
• Input data into patients' healthcare records as necessary.
• Direct requests for information, i.e., DSAR, insurance/solicitors letters and DVLA forms to the administrative team.
• Manage all queries as necessary in an efficient manner.
• Conduct system searches as requested.
• Support all clinical staff with general administrative tasks as requested.
• Undertake a broad spectrum of administrative duties commensurate with the role.
• Be an integral part of the general practice team.
• Act as a chaperone as required.
• Complete effective and efficient patient recalls.
• Production of receptionist rota.
• Deputise and support during periods of absence.
• Identify and provide team training.
• Support reception staff development, providing guidance and direction, ensuring staff are up to date with mandatory training.
• Complete 121 meetings with reception team and support the appraisal process.
• Support the wellbeing lead and display promotional material on the allocated notice boards and in the waiting room.
• Be aware of duties and responsibilities regarding current legislation and adhere to practice policies and procedures on safeguarding adults and safeguarding children.
• Support in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements.
• Undertake all mandatory training and induction programmes.
• Contribute to and embrace the spectrum of clinical governance.
• Maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times.
• Attend a formal appraisal with their manager at least every 12 months.

Wider responsibilities:

• Ensure that the reception team actions all incoming emails and correspondence as necessary.
• Scan patient-related documentation and attach scanned documents to patients' healthcare records.
• Participate in local initiatives to enhance service delivery and patient care.
• To support and develop good links with other teams such as administration and the pharmacy team.
• Support and participate in shared learning.

Person Specification:

Experience of working with the general public. Experience of working in a healthcare setting. Experience of leading a team. Experience of administrative duties.

Knowledge and skills:

• Excellent communication skills and effective in communicating and understanding patient needs.
• Competent in the use of MS Office and Outlook.
• Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required.
• Ability to use own initiative, discretion, and sensitivity.
• Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity.
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously.
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations.
• Good organisational skills.
• Clinical IT system user skills and the ability to record accurate notes.
• Effectively utilise resources.
• Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort.
• High levels of integrity and loyalty.
• Clear, polite telephone manner.
• Flexible and cooperative.
• Motivated.
• Understanding of safeguarding adults and children.
• Demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and work well under pressure.
• Knowledge of and ability to work to key policies and procedures.

Qualifications:

A good standard of education with an expectation of having both GCSE Maths and English at Grade C (Level 4) or above, or Functional Skills Level 2 in Maths and English. NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care.

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.

Salary up to £14 per hour dependent on experience.