Reception Manager

Kent LMC; Ashford; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Kingsnorth Medical Practice in Ashford is seeking a Reception Manager to lead the daily reception service and support staff. You will supervise the reception team, manage rotas and training, and ensure smooth operations while guiding patient access and care navigation.

The role emphasizes empathetic patient handling, proactive problem resolution and collaboration with the Operations Manager to maintain high standards of service quality.

Qualifications

• Essential: Experience supervising or managing staff in a busy service.
• Desirable: NHS general practice experience or similar healthcare setting.

Responsibilities

• Lead, supervise and support the reception team, including rotas, cover, induction, training and appraisals.
• Help the team handle patient enquiries, appointments and care navigation with courtesy and discretion.
• Resolve day to day problems and initial concerns, escalating clinical, safeguarding or formal complaints appropriately.
• Organise daily reception activity, allocate work, monitor queues and telephone demand, and arrange cover when staffing changes.
• Support the team with appointment booking, care navigation, patient enquiries and communication with clinicians and external services.
• Step into reception duties when required, while maintaining oversight of team priorities.
• Identify recurring access or service issues, review feedback and help implement and evaluate improvements.

Skills

Staff supervision

Communication

IT skills

Education

NHS general practice experience

Job description

At Kingsnorth Medical Practice we value and respect one another and our patients. By having a united belief in kindness, professionalism, positivity and teamwork this translates into great patient care and makes KMP a great place to work. This ethos has helped us achieve an outstanding rating by CQC and recognised as one of the top 100 Practices in the UK.

Job summary
We are looking for an organised, approachable Manager to lead our Reception team and help patients access the right support. You will oversee the daily reception service, support and develop colleagues, and work closely with the Operations Manager and the wider practice team to keep services running smoothly

Main duties of the job

What you will do

• Lead, supervise and support the reception team, including rotas, cover, induction, training and appraisals.
• Help the team handle patient enquiries, appointments and care navigation consistently, with courtesy and discretion.
• Resolve day to day problems and initial concerns, escalating clinical, safeguarding or formal complaints appropriately.

What you will bring

• You will have experience of supervising or managing a busy customer facing team, strong communication and IT skills, sound judgement and a calm, practical approach when priorities change. Experience in general practice or another healthcare setting would be helpful, but the ability to lead people and deliver a reliable service matters most.
• Improve reception processes, monitor service quality and help introduce agreed changes.
• Use feedback and service information to improve access, team workflows and the patient experience.

Purpose of the Role

The Reception Manager will lead the day to day reception service so patients receive a courteous, consistent response and staff have the support and guidance they need. Work with the Operations Manager and clinical colleagues to improve access and maintain safe administrative processes. Provide operational advice and cover within agreed authority when the Operations Manager is absent.

Reception Service and Patient Experience

• Organise daily reception activity, allocate work, monitor queues and telephone demand, and arrange cover when staffing changes.
• Support the team with appointment booking, care navigation, patient enquiries and communication with clinicians and external services, following practice protocols.
• Step into reception duties when required, while maintaining oversight of team priorities.
• Handle initial concerns with empathy and accurate records; elevate formal complaints, clinical queries, safeguarding concerns and incidents through the appropriate route.
• Identify recurring access or service issues, review feedback and help implement and evaluate improvements.

People Management

• Provide first line supervision, coaching and regular feedback; promote a respectful, supportive team culture.
• Plan rotas, review leave requests, monitor attendance and arrange suitable cover within agreed staffing limits.
• Coordinate recruitment, induction, mandatory training, competency checks and appraisals for reception colleagues.
• Address performance, conduct and wellbeing matters promptly under practice procedures, seeking support from senior management where required.
• Chair reception meetings, communicate decisions clearly and follow up agreed actions.

Service Quality and Improvement

• Review reception workload, access information, patient feedback and incidents to identify service problems and practical improvements.
• Agree changes with the Operations Manager, update team guidance and check whether new processes are working as intended.
• Work with clinical and administrative colleagues to clarify handovers, reduce avoidable delays and ensure patient requests are directed appropriately.
• Maintain accurate reception records and share relevant service updates with the management team.

Practice Operations and Improvement

• Maintain and review reception procedures, checklists and staff guidance; publish approved versions in the practice document system.
• Support the Operations Manager and Practice Manager with relevant audits, CQC evidence, incident learning and agreed change projects.
• Raise IT faults, liaise with support teams and help staff use practice systems effectively within the post holders competence.
• Attend relevant operational, clinical and partnership meetings by agreement, preparing updates on the reception service as needed.
• Liaise with the Administration Manager when cross team support is required and provide agreed cover where capacity and training allow.

Standards and Responsibilities

• Protect confidential information and use patient records in line with practice policies, data protection requirements and Caldicott principles.
• Follow safeguarding, equality, health and safety, infection prevention and incident reporting procedures, and ensure team members understand the processes relevant to their work.
• Maintain required training and take part in supervision, appraisal and development.
• Act within competence and delegated authority, seeking clinical or senior management advice when a matter falls outside the role.

Person Specification

Essential: Experience supervising or managing staff in a busy service; ability to plan work and support colleagues; clear written and verbal communication; confidence using digital systems and interpreting basic service information; sound judgement, discretion and an organised approach to changing priorities.

Desirable: Experience in NHS general practice or another healthcare service; familiarity with appointment systems, care navigation, audits and quality improvement; experience managing rotas and developing staff.

Review of the Role

This description outlines the main responsibilities. Duties may be reviewed with the post holder as services and practice needs change.