Reception Manager in South Shields

We are recruiting for a Reception Manager to join Victoria Medical Centre working 38 hours per week across 4 days. This is a key leadership role responsible for managing our reception and care coordination team and ensuring the smooth running of our front of house services. The Reception Manager will support the delivery of safe, efficient and patient-focused services by overseeing day-to-day operations, staff performance and the quality of patient access. The role requires strong leadership, communication and organisational skills with a focus on maintaining high standards of professionalism, accuracy and service. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced supervisor or team leader who is committed to delivering excellent patient care and supporting team development within a busy primary care environment.

Main duties of the job

• The Reception Manager leads the reception and care coordination team ensuring the smooth running of the front of house service.
• Main duties include supervising staff, completing appraisals, managing rotas and overseeing training.
• The role ensures high quality reception services including appointment booking, patient signposting, workflow management and communication with clinical teams.
• The post holder monitors performance, supports service improvement, manages complaints and maintains digital and telephone systems.
• The role also ensures accurate administrative processes, data entry and record management while supporting the Practice Manager with reporting, recruitment and operational planning.

About us

Victoria Medical Centre is a GP practice based in the west of South Tyneside and is part of the South Tyneside West Primary Care Network. The practice provides high quality patient-centred care to the local community and works closely with other practices and partners to improve the health and wellbeing of residents. The team includes GPs, nurses, allied health professionals, administrative staff and wider PCN roles who work together to deliver safe, efficient and accessible services. The organisation is committed to maintaining high standards of care, supporting staff development and continuously improving patient experience.

Job responsibilities

• The Reception Manager is responsible for leading and coordinating the reception and care coordination team at Victoria Medical Centre.
• The role supports the smooth running of all front of house services and ensures that patients receive high quality, safe and efficient access to care.
• The Reception Manager works under the direction of the Practice Manager and plays a key role in service delivery, team supervision and organisational efficiency.
• The post holder will manage day-to-day activities of the reception and care coordination team ensuring all duties are carried out accurately, professionally and in line with practice policies.
• This includes overseeing appointment booking, patient signposting, workflow processing, communication handling, and general administrative support.
• The Reception Manager will ensure that all staff follow practice protocols and maintain high standards of confidentiality, data protection and patient care.

Key responsibilities

• Supervision, training and development of reception staff.
• Completing appraisals, probation reviews, ongoing coaching and performance management to support staff competence and confidence.
• Managing staff rotas, annual leave and sickness to maintain safe staffing levels at all times.
• Leading team meetings and contributing to a positive and supportive team culture.
• Monitoring the quality and consistency of all reception tasks including appointment management, patient enquiries, document handling, scanning, coding and messaging.
• Supporting care coordination activities including personalised care tasks, support for long term condition reviews, care home communication workflow, prioritisation and preparation for multidisciplinary team meetings.
• Contributing to quality improvement across the practice.
• Supporting work relating to QoF, IIF Enhanced Services and other quality and access initiatives.
• Monitoring key performance indicators including call answering access metrics, DNA rates, workflow processing times and patient feedback.
• Implementing improvement plans where needed and participating in audits, governance processes, complaints investigations and service development.

Digital access and telephony oversight

• Overseeing the use of online consultation tools, patient online services, digital triage, SMS systems and the cloud-based VOIP telephone system.
• Ensuring call flow configuration, reporting and support functions are maintained effectively and that staff use all digital tools confidently and safely.

Effective communication

• Acting as the link between reception, the Practice Manager, clinicians, PCN staff and external partners.
• Ensuring urgent issues are escalated appropriately and that information is shared accurately and promptly.
• Promoting a culture of clear professional and timely communication at all levels.

Administrative oversight

• Ensuring that inboxes, tasks, data entry, referrals, coding, scanning and filing are completed accurately and in a timely manner.
• Helping manage supplies for reception and ensuring the reception area and clinical room support tasks are completed to expected standards.
• Ensuring that processes for booking interpreters, arranging transport, managing home visit requests and responding to online and telephone enquiries run efficiently.

Support for the Practice Manager

• Regular reporting on performance, workforce issues and operational challenges.
• Assisting with recruitment, induction and training for new starters.
• May deputise for the Practice Manager on reception related operational matters.
• Contributing to planning and implementing improvements in access, digital systems, quality targets and general practice efficiency.

The role requires strong leadership, communication, organisational skills and the ability to remain calm, professional and patient-focused under pressure. The Reception Manager must uphold all practice standards relating to confidentiality, data protection, safeguarding, equality, health and safety governance and professional behaviour. They must engage in their own training and development and support the development needs of their team.

Person Specification

• Good general education including GCSE grade C or above or equivalent in English Language, Maths and Information Technology or Computer Sciences.
• Experience supervising staff.
• Experience in customer service.
• Understanding of primary care reception.
• Understanding of confidentiality and data protection.
• NHS administrative training.
• Experience using EMIS Web.

Additional Criteria

• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage clearly with patients and staff.
• Ability to lead, motivate and support a team in a busy environment.
• Ability to prioritise workload and manage time effectively.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail in all administrative tasks.
• Ability to remain calm, professional and empathetic under pressure.
• Competent IT skills and confidence using clinical and administrative systems.
• Experience supporting service improvement or quality projects.
• Experience participating in audits, governance or reporting processes.
• Experience working with digital telephony systems or online consultation tools.
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to leadership or administration.

Experience

• Experience supervising staff.
• Experience working in a customer service environment.
• Experience carrying out administrative tasks accurately and efficiently.
• Experience working in a busy service environment requiring multitasking.
• Understanding of primary care reception processes.
• Understanding of confidentiality and data protection requirements.
• Experience using EMIS Web.
• Experience handling complaints in a healthcare or customer service setting.
• Experience supporting or coordinating administrative rotas.
• Experience using digital access tools in a healthcare setting.

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.

£25,760 to £28,392 a year. Pay depending on experience.