Job Summary
The Lead for the Patient Services Team is a visible, non-clinical leader responsible for ensuring that every patient interaction—whether in person, by phone, or online—reflects the values and standards of Urban Village Medical Practice. The postholder will oversee the reception, call handling, and patient experience teams, ensuring that access to care is smooth, equitable, and responsive to our diverse community, including people experiencing homelessness, social vulnerability, or language barriers.
They will lead on patient experience, communication quality, and first‑line complaint management, working closely with the Operational Managers, Clinical Leads, and Data Team to continuously improve how patients engage with the practice. This role also includes line management, service planning, and development of staff across all patient‑facing functions to ensure a culture of compassion, professionalism and excellence.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
* Line‑manage the reception and call‑handling team, including performance monitoring, appraisals and professional development.
* Ensure smooth daily running of the reception desk and patient contact systems, including rota management and cross‑cover.
* Support the Leadership team to deliver a high‑quality patient experience and efficient operational performance.
* Lead the Patient Participation Group, organising meetings, managing communications and preparing agendas and summary notes.
* Act as the operational lead for digital access and patient engagement systems, ensuring consistent and effective use of EMIS, AccuRx, Footfall and other digital platforms.
* Provide strategic oversight of the Patient Services team, ensuring robust HR processes are followed in line with practice policy and employment law.
* Work closely with the Practice Manager to support workforce planning, recruitment, retention and succession within non‑clinical teams.
* Ensure all HR documentation, including appraisals, probation reviews, absence monitoring and performance records, are maintained to a high standard.
* Act as the Patient Services lead for CQC readiness, ensuring all front‑of‑house and administrative processes meet regulatory standards.
* Develop and review policies, SOPs and risk assessments relevant to patient services.
* Lead on compliance monitoring within the team, including mandatory training, confidentiality, data protection, safeguarding responsibilities and competency compliance.
Patient Experience and Communication
* Be the first point of contact for initial complaints and patient concerns, managing early resolution and supporting the learning process across teams.
* Ensure staff have the skills, confidence and empathy to communicate effectively with patients, including those with additional needs.
* Work with the clinical and digital teams to improve access through phone, online and walk‑in routes.
* Oversee the quality of call‑handling, reception interactions and administrative communication with patients.
* Lead patient experience initiatives, including surveys, Friends and Family feedback and targeted quality improvement projects.
* Develop and deliver local health promotion and engagement activities in partnership with the wider management team and community partners.
Operational Delivery
* Ensure staffing levels are safe and appropriate for demand, including daily oversight of rotas and cover.
* Review and improve front‑of‑house processes (patient registration, ID checks, appointment triage and prescription queries).
* Ensure reception areas are welcoming, safe and accessible for all patients.
* Monitor call volumes, response times and service standards, using data to inform improvement.
* Contribute to the management of correspondence, recalls and digital access tasks as needed.
* Support planning and delivery of seasonal vaccination clinics.
* Ensure all patient information collected by the patient services team is accurate, complete and coded correctly.
* Work with the Data and Compliance Manager to improve registration accuracy, address duplicates and support clean data entry into EMIS.
* Manage scanning and document management processes to ensure all correspondence is filed and coded correctly.
* Ensure patient‑facing systems and areas are secure and confidential, including safe storage of documents and screens.
* Remind staff regularly of their responsibilities for safeguarding patient data and ensuring safe use of shared devices.
* Support the practice's digital access strategy, ensuring online appointment, prescription and contact systems are used effectively.
* Work with the team to ensure reception processes align with data accuracy and recall requirements.
* Encourage digital inclusion by supporting patients who need help registering for or using online services.
HR and People Leadership
* Provide strategic oversight of the Patient Services team, ensuring robust HR processes are followed in line with practice policy and employment law.
* Work closely with the Practice Manager to support workforce planning, recruitment, retention and succession within non‑clinical teams.
* Ensure all HR documentation, including appraisals, probation reviews, absence monitoring and performance records, are maintained to a high standard.
* Support investigations, employee relations issues and formal processes where required, ensuring fairness, confidentiality and compliance.
* Provide regular HR performance updates and workforce metrics to the Practice Manager and Partners.
Quality, Governance and CQC Responsibilities
* Act as the Patient Services lead for CQC readiness, ensuring all front‑of‑house and administrative processes meet regulatory standards.
* Maintain up‑to‑date evidence and documentation for the Responsive and Well‑Led domains, supporting inspection preparation and internal audits.
* Develop and review policies, SOPs and risk assessments relevant to patient services.
* Lead on compliance monitoring within the team, including mandatory training, confidentiality, data protection, safeguarding responsibilities and competency compliance.
* Report CQC compliance progress, risks and actions to the Leadership Team at regular intervals.
* Participate in QI projects, audits, and data analysis relating to patient experience and access.
* Ensure administrative and reception processes are CQC‑compliant.
* Support significant event reviews, complaints investigations and action plans.
* Maintain confidentiality of patient information at all times and ensure staff understand and uphold confidentiality standards.
* Ensure all staff understand and comply with information governance, data protection and confidentiality policies.
* Support regular reminders and spot checks to maintain compliance with GDPR, Caldicott Principles and NHS data standards.
Partnership and Collaboration
* Build strong relationships with local partners such as community organisations, social services and the Homeless Health Team.
* Represent the patient services team in internal meetings and development forums.
Learning and Training
* Introduce a clear induction plan aligned to the competency framework, ensuring consistent onboarding and skill development.
* Support staff in learning to use EMIS and digital tools confidently, including booking templates, messaging and recall systems.
* Escalate any data quality or digital access issues to the appropriate manager for resolution.
Reporting and Communication
* Provide regular reports to the Practice Manager and Partners on performance, staffing, digital access and patient experience outcomes.
* Prepare concise updates for leadership meetings, contributing to decision‑making and continuous improvement.
* Maintain accurate dashboards and summaries for CQC, HR and digital performance indicators.
* Communicate key updates to the Patient Services team, ensuring clarity, accountability and shared understanding of goals and results.
Person Specification
* Level 5 management qualification or equivalent experience.
* Evidence of continuous professional development in leadership, service improvement or patient experience (desirable).
* Understanding of CQC and NHS regulatory frameworks.
* HR or people management training or certification (e.g., CIPD Level 3–5 – desirable).
* Proven experience managing patient‑facing or customer service teams in a healthcare or complex service environment.
* Demonstrated success leading on HR processes including performance management, recruitment and absence management.
* Experience of preparing for or contributing to CQC inspections, audits or compliance reviews.
* Strong understanding of digital systems used in general practice (e.g., EMIS, AccuRx, Footfall, MS Teams).
* Experience analysing and presenting data or KPIs to inform operational decisions.
* Experience improving access, communication or patient experience through service redesign or digital innovation.
* Proven ability to manage sensitive situations such as complaints, conflicts or staff issues with fairness and professionalism.
* Excellent communication and conflict resolution skills, with a focus on empathy and clarity.
* Ability to motivate, coach and develop a team to deliver outstanding patient service.
* Strong IT and organisational skills with attention to accuracy and patient confidentiality.
* Calm and empathetic under pressure, maintaining professionalism in challenging situations.
* Knowledge of EMIS clinical system.
* Understanding of Docman workflow system.
* Understanding of health inequalities and access barriers, and ability to tailor services to meet diverse needs.
* Ability to review systems and processes to enhance patient experience and operational efficiency.
* Strong collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with senior managers, clinicians and system partners to deliver joined‑up, high‑quality care.
* Excellent leadership and communication skills with the ability to motivate, coach and hold staff accountable.
* Strong HR administration and problem‑solving skills; able to apply policy consistently and sensitively.
* Confident in using data to monitor performance and report to senior leaders.
* Good knowledge of information governance, confidentiality and GDPR.
* Organised and detail‑oriented, able to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
* IT literate with strong Excel and data interpretation skills.
* Confidence in managing information sources, presenting findings and influencing change.
* Demonstrates sound judgment and high personal integrity.
* Understanding of NHS primary care operations and patient pathways.
* Awareness of the CQC Key Questions and what Good and Outstanding look like in a patient services context.
* Knowledge of equality, diversity and inclusion principles and how they apply in healthcare.
* Familiarity with NHS digital transformation goals and the importance of data quality.
* Committed to inclusion, fairness and continuous improvement.
* Collaborative and solution‑focused with a can‑do approach.
* Acts as a role model for exceptional patient service and team culture.
* Takes pride in delivering high‑quality, patient‑focused outcomes.
* Builds positive relationships with colleagues across all disciplines, fostering a culture of respect, shared purpose and service excellence.
* Compassionate, inclusive and approachable leader.
* Values fairness, learning and accountability.
* Positive, proactive and solution‑focused.
* Acts with discretion and integrity in handling confidential information.
* Reflective and committed to continuous improvement.
* Willing to go the extra mile to resolve patient issues and support colleagues.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a submission to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) is required to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer Details
Urban Village Medical Practice
Old Mill Street
Manchester
M4 6EE
Website: https://www.uvmp.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)
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