Job responsibilities
The Lead for the Patient Services Team is a visible, non-clinical leader responsible for ensuring that every patient interaction, (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 Digital 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.
Structure
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Leadership and Performance
- Provide visible leadership to the reception and patient services teams, setting a positive example of Urban Village Medical Practices inclusive and compassionate ethos.
- Line manages 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 regular team meetings, ensuring information, learning, and feedback are cascaded effectively.
- Act as a role model for CIRCLE leadership by fostering collaboration and inclusion through patient participation and feedback
- Promote a culture of teamwork, respect, and open communication.
Patient Experience and Communication
- Lead the Patient Participation Group
- Organise regular meetings, manage communications, and prepare agendas and summary notes for the team and patients.
- Work with the Operations Manager and Clinical Leads to share feedback, co-produce improvements, and close the feedback loop with patients.
- Support patients with lived experience to contribute to improvement projects and community engagement initiatives.
- 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.
Create a clear competency framework so every team member can confidently provide cross-cover and contribute to an exceptional workforce.
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 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.
Support 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 practices 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.
Digital, Data, and Access Leadership.
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.
Work with the Management Team and Partners to ensure front-desk processes align with data accuracy, recall, and information governance standards.
Champion digital inclusion by supporting patients to use online services confidently and safely.
Monitor and report on digital access metrics, including online appointment usage, e-consultations, and repeat prescription requests.
Contribute to the practices digital transformation plans and participate in system-wide digital improvement projects.
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.
We promote a culture of continuous improvement, where everyone counts. Staff are encouraged to make suggestions and contributions to improve service delivery and enhance patient care 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.