Reception Administrator

Queensway Medical Centre; Lancashire; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS pension

Friendly and supportive environment

Training and development opportunities

Job summary

Queensway Medical Centre in Lancashire seeks an experienced Reception Administrator to manage the front-of-house reception and administrative team. You will oversee the appointment system, patient access, and workflows, ensuring a high standard of patient care while coordinating with clinicians and management.

You will lead and develop the reception staff, improve processes, handle complex patient queries, and maintain GDPR and confidentiality compliance in a busy primary care setting.

Qualifications

• Supervisory/management experience is essential.
• Strong organisational and leadership skills are required.
• Excellent communication and patient-facing skills are essential.
• Ability to work well under pressure in a busy primary care environment.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the daily running of the reception function to ensure smooth patient flow.
• Lead appointment bookings using EMIS and maintain clinic templates and rotas.
• Line manage the reception team, coordinate staff rotas, and support recruitment/training.
• Be the first point of contact for patients, handling complex queries with professionalism.
• Oversee bookings, cancellations, workflows and document handling; monitor workloads.
• Act as a liaison between reception/admin, GPs, clinicians and external agencies.
• Ensure adherence to GDPR, confidentiality, CQC standards and practice policies.
• Support audits, reporting and service improvements within the team.
• Provide reception cover and contribute to service development through meetings.

Skills

Supervisory/management experience

Organisational skills

Leadership skills

Communication skills

Tools

EMIS

Job description

Job Summary

The post holder is responsible for the day-to-day management and coordination of the reception and administration team, ensuring the efficient and professional running of front-of-house services. This includes oversight of the appointment system, patient access, and administrative workflows, while delivering a high standard of patient care and supporting the wider practice team. The role acts as the key link between reception staff, clinicians, and management to ensure safe, responsive, and effective service delivery.

Key Responsibilities

1. Reception & Operational Management

• Oversee the daily running of the reception function, ensuring smooth patient flow and efficient service delivery
• Ensure all reception and administration processes are completed accurately and in line with practice protocols
• Monitor and improve workflows to enhance access and efficiency
• Maintain a clean, organised, and professional reception and waiting area

2. Appointment System & Access Management

• Take lead responsibility for the appointment book EMIS
• Set up and maintain clinical rotas
• Manage appointment availability and clinic templates
• Monitor demand and capacity
• Coordinate changes (leave, sickness, urgent clinics)
• Support delivery of access targets and improve patient access routes

3. Team Leadership & Supervision

• Line manage and supervise the reception
• Coordinate staff rotas ensuring adequate cover at all times
• Support recruitment, induction and training of new staff
• Provide ongoing coaching, supervision and performance support
• Act as first point of escalation for staff queries and issues

4. Patient Services & Experience

• Act as the first point of contact for patients where required
• Manage complex or escalated patient queries and complaints
• Ensure all patient interactions are:
• Professional
• Confidential
• Respectful
• Promote excellent customer care and patient satisfaction

5. Administration & Workflow Oversight

• Oversee:
• Appointment bookings and cancellations
• Workflow, scanning and document handling
• Message handling between patients and cliniciansEnsure timely and accurate processing of all administrative tasks
• Monitor team workload and reallocate tasks where required

6. Communication & Liaison

• Act as a key link between:
• Reception/admin team
• GPs and clinical staff
• External agencies
• Ensure clear communication of updates, changes, and priorities
• Support implementation of new systems and processes

7. Quality, Governance & Compliance

• Ensure adherence to:
• CQC standards
• Practice policies and SOPs
• GDPR and confidentiality requirements
• Support audits, reporting, and service improvement
• Manage complaints relating to reception services

8. IT & Systems

• Ensure effective use of clinical systems
• Support staff training in system use
• Troubleshoot basic IT/admin issues and elevate where required

9. General Duties

• Provide reception cover when required
• Attend meetings and contribute to service improvement
• Undertake any other duties appropriate to the role

Person Specification (brief)

Essential:

• Supervisory/management experience
• Strong organisational and leadership skills
• Excellent communication and patient-facing skills
• Ability to work under pressure

Desirable:

• Understanding of primary care access models
• Experience with complaints handling
• Experience in GP practice
• Knowledge of appointment systems EMIS

Key Outcomes / KPIs

• Appointment utilisation rates
• Patient access and waiting times
• Call handling performance
• Patient feedback/complaints
• Staff training completion and absence management

About Us

Queensway Medical Centre is a well-established, patient-focused GP practice committed to delivering high-quality, accessible healthcare to our local community. We are looking for an experienced and motivated Reception Administrator to join our friendly and supportive team and play a key role in the smooth running of our front-of-house services.

What We Offer

• Friendly and supportive working environment
• Opportunities for training and development
• NHS pension
• Competitive salary (dependent on experience)

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.