Practice Administration Assistant/Receptionist

NHS; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading healthcare practice as a Practice Administration Assistant, where you'll provide vital administrative support to ensure smooth operations and excellent patient care. This role offers full-time and part-time opportunities, with a focus on customer service and effective communication within a supportive team environment.

Benefits

30 days annual leave

Two fully funded team social events each year

Support for career growth

Qualifications

• Minimum grade C/level 4 in Maths & English language.
• Experience in a customer-facing environment or care setting.
• Previous experience working with SystmOne preferred.

Responsibilities

• Managing and coordinating appointment bookings.
• Handling patient enquiries face-to-face and over the phone.
• Supporting the team with a range of administrative tasks.

Skills

Effective communication

Ability to multitask

Solid computer skills

Education

GCSE or higher

Tools

SystmOne

Microsoft Office

Job description

Join Our Team at The Valleys - Practice Administration Assistants Wanted!

Are you an organized, friendly, and enthusiastic individual with a passion for great customer service? This is your chance to become a key part of our vibrant, patient-focused team at The Valleys.

We are currently recruiting Practice Administration Assistants to support our growing service, with opportunities available at both our Moss Valley (Eckington) and Gosforth Valley (Dronfield) branches, or working flexibly across both sites. A variety of full-time and part-time roles are on offer, with both permanent and temporary contracts to suit your lifestyle and career goals.

You'll be joining a supportive, professional team committed to delivering excellent care to our community. If you're reliable, motivated, and ready to make a real difference, we would love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

As a Practice Administration Assistant, you'll play a vital role at the heart of our busy, welcoming medical centres. Working closely with our Patient Administration Team Leader and Assistant Practice Manager, you'll be part of a supportive and dynamic team, helping to keep our services running smoothly for both patients and staff.

Your day-to-day will include:

• Creating a welcoming and organized environment for patients, keeping our reception and waiting areas clean, calm, and professional.
• Managing and coordinating appointment bookings to ensure smooth patient flow.
• Handling patient enquiries with warmth, efficiency, and care — both face-to-face and over the phone.
• Supporting the team with a range of administrative tasks (mostly computer-based), ensuring everything is completed accurately and on time.
• Communicating effectively with all members of the primary healthcare team, helping to keep everything connected.
• Providing holiday and sickness cover for team members — contributing to a flexible and resilient service.

This is a busy, varied, and rewarding role where no two days are the same — ideal for someone who enjoys being organized, working with people, and making a real difference.

About us

We are a successful Partnership made up of 6 GP Partners and one Pharmacist Partner, caring for a practice population of approximately 12,400 patients across two welcoming sites.

Rated Good by the CQC, we are a patient-focused, high-performing practice, consistently achieving strong results in QOF.

As a Level 3 Research Practice and established training practice, we are proud to be at the forefront of innovative, evidence-based care — including a total GP-led triage model designed to ensure patients get the right care, first time.

At The Valleys, team wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do. We foster an open, inclusive, and supportive environment where every team member is encouraged to thrive. You'll have access to all the tools and encouragement needed to succeed — plus some great benefits, including:

• 30 days annual leave (plus bank holidays, pro-rata)
• Two fully funded team social events each year
• A culture that values your input, supports career growth, and prioritizes work-life balance

Come join a team that is passionate about high-quality care — and just as passionate about looking after each other.

Job responsibilities

Job Summary

To work as part of the Primary Health Care Team under the direction of the Assistant Practice Manager in providing an administrative support service to the practice population.

The Practice Administration Assistant plays an active role in providing administrative support services to patients and the clinical team at the practice, including:

• The surgery premises are appropriately stewarded and kept tidy.
• Opening the premises and checking heating, ventilation, and safety risks.
• Resuming telephone services/setting answerphones.
• Ventilating and tidying the waiting room.
• Ensuring the reception area is always left tidy and ready for use.
• Closing the premises and checking that telephone answerphone, lights, etc., are off and the building is secure.

Administering the appointments system

• Receiving and marshalling patients on arrival.
• Making new and follow-up appointments.
• Receiving and recording requests for home visits and telephone consultations.
• Collating appointment statistics as requested by the practice manager or partners.

Enquiries from patients are efficiently and courteously handled

• Providing general information to patients.
• Registering new patients.
• Explaining surgery procedures.
• Receiving and processing requests for repeat (and acute) prescriptions.
• Completing relevant forms.
• Receiving & processing patients' payments.

The secretarial duties of the Practice, both paper and computer-based, are undertaken efficiently and promptly.

• Accessing and filing patients' paper records as requested by any clinician or the Practice Manager.
• Updating the computerized patient records as required.
• Returning requested records (with computer print-out) to the Registrations Department.
• Typing letters and other documents as requested by any clinician or the Practice Manager.
• Processing referrals.
• Providing regular data to Primary Care organizations as requested.
• Administering patient recall systems.
• Issuing invitations for health promotion activities.
• Managing office supplies stock.
• Photocopying.
• Filing.
• Assisting with newsletter/poster campaigns.
• Computer entry of summarized notes.

Effective communication with all Primary Healthcare Team members

• Receiving, recording, and passing messages for other team members.
• Completing all tasks allocated to you or your team.
• Delegating incomplete tasks to colleagues at shift changes, with relevant information about unresolved or urgent matters.

Holiday and sickness cover for absent colleagues

• Planned cover for absent colleagues as per the contract schedule.
• Ad-hoc cover for unforeseen circumstances.
• Making tea and coffee.
• Performing other duties consistent with the responsibilities of the post and as it develops over time.

Person Specification

Skills and Knowledge

• Effective communication (written & verbal) at all levels
• Ability to multitask and prioritize workloads
• Remain calm under pressure
• Assertiveness with appropriate empathy
• Tact and diplomacy
• Work independently and as part of a team
• Self-confident
• Maintain confidentiality
• Recognize personal limits of competence
• Solid computer skills, including Microsoft Office packages
• Basic understanding of General Practice

Qualifications

• A good standard of education, preferably GCSE or higher, with a minimum grade C/level 4 in Maths & English language

Experience

• Experience in a customer-facing environment or care setting
• Previous experience working with SystmOne
• Experience within the NHS
• Experience within general practice

Other

• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality
• Reliable
• Resilient
• Interest in the work
• Good sense of humor
• Willing to comply with dress code/uniform
• Commitment to our core values
• Car driver with full use of a car
• Able to work flexible hours

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, requiring a Disclosure and Barring Service check for any previous criminal convictions.