Job summary
We're looking for an organised, supportive and detail-focused Deputy Service Manager to help lead our busy back-office clinical administrative teams across multiple GP sites.
In this role, youll support the Service Manager in overseeing several key functions, including referrals, medical reports, document assessment, laboratory results and general clinical administration. You will provide day-to-day supervision, deliver training, conduct audits, drive quality, and ensure we provide accurate and efficient support to patients and clinicians.
Why join us?
- Involvement in service improvement and transformation: Impact the health of 85,000 people across south east London.
- Make a Real Impact: Play a vital role in patient care by ensuring accurate and timely processing of tests and investigations.
- Leadership development and training opportunities: development in skills to progress your leadership skills in Penrose.
- Collaborative Environment: Work alongside experienced healthcare professionals in a supportive, team-oriented setting.
- Flexible Entry Point: Perfect for candidates with a science background who want to enter the healthcare sector without needing a medical degree.
- Innovation & Learning: Exposure to NHS systems and processes, giving you valuable insight into modern healthcare operations.
- Lifestyle benefits including NHS pension, team socials and exclusive employee discounts!
Main duties of the job
What were looking for:
- Strong communicator with proven experience managing people and processes
- Excellent attention to detail accuracy really matters in this role
- Confident problem solver who thrives in busy environments
- Ability to coach, support and develop staff
- NHS experience helpful but not essential
Key responsibilities:
- Lead and support multiple admin teams (referrals, medical reports, document processing, labs)
- Deliver training and complete quality audits
- Monitor performance, workflow volumes and turnaround times
- Work closely with internal and external partners (GPs, clinical teams, hospitals, insurers)
- Improve processes to enhance patient experience and service efficiency
If you're passionate about developing people, improving processes and delivering high-quality administrative services, wed love to hear from you.
Apply now and help us deliver excellent care for our patients.
About us
Penrose Health is on a mission to deliver outstanding healthcare to every patient we serve.
We care for 75,000+ people across 9 sites in South East London, supported by a team of 200+ clinicians and staff. Our model is built on permanent, diverse teams, strong governance, and a clear focus on continuity, quality, and access.
We work closely with NHS partners to deliver a full range of services from routine checks to complex, long-term care backed by robust systems and a culture of continuous improvement.
We're proud to hold a CQC "Good" rating and consistently receive strong feedback from patients.
Learn more at penrosehealth.co.uk.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Purpose of the role
The Deputy Service Manager plays a key leadership role within our back-office clinical administrative service. The post-holder supports the management of multiple administrative teams, ensuring the safe, accurate and efficient delivery of all clinical correspondence, referrals, medical reports, laboratory results, and patient communications.
The role requires excellent communication skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to lead teams in a fast-paced environment. While NHS experience is an advantage, it is not essentialwe welcome candidates with proven experience managing people and processes in a busy operational setting.
Key relationships - Clinical Team: GPs, Nurses, Pharmacists, PAs, Paramedics, AHPs (for referrals, test results, and patient preparation).
- Non-Clinical Team: Reception, Triage, Data & Performance, Patient Experience (for coordination and record management).
- Patients: Direct interaction for basic checks, specimen collection, and explaining procedures.
- External stakeholders: hospital trusts, community services, insurers, solicitors, laboratories
Key responsibilities - A. Leadership of Multiple Administrative Teams
You will provide day-to-day supervision, support and performance oversight across several key functions, including Referrals, Medical Reports, Document Assessment Team and Lab reports team
- Leadership responsibilities include:
- Daily oversight of work queues and volumes
- Coaching and pastoral support
- Rota planning and leave management
- Onboarding, competency sign-off and ongoing training
B. Training, Quality & Performance Framework - Deliver structured training across all admin workstreams.
- Conduct regular audits (coding accuracy, referral timeliness, lab results completion).
- Monitor and report on KPIs, including turnaround times, quality scores and workflow volumes.
- Support the Service Manager in implementing improvement plans.
- Maintain consistency with SOPs, clinical governance, and record management standards.
C. Stakeholder Engagement Internal & External - Act as an escalation point for complex workflow or correspondence issues
- Ensure smooth communication pathways across teams
- Support service redesign in collaboration with clinical leadership
- Build positive working relationships with external organisations
D. Process Oversight & Problem Solving - Ensure consistent and efficient processing across all administrative workflows.
- Identify process gaps and lead improvements to enhance patient safety and efficiency.
- Troubleshoot operational issues and implement sustainable solutions.
- Support updates of Penrose Portal 7SOPs, training packs and workflow guides.
E. Quality Measurement & Governance - Regularly measure quality through audits, sampling, and staff feedback.
- Support incident reporting and root-cause investigations.
- Ensure best practice in data protection, confidentiality, and clinical accuracy.
- Maintain robust record-keeping in line with NHS and organisational standards.
F. Patient Engagement & Experience - Ensure administrative processes support smooth and timely communication with patients.
- Oversee accurate follow-up of results, referrals, and clinical enquiries.
- Support timely responses to patient feedback, complaints and queries.
- Identify improvements that enhance patient engagement and reduce avoidable delays.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Purpose of the role
The Deputy Service Manager plays a key leadership role within our back-office clinical administrative service. The post-holder supports the management of multiple administrative teams, ensuring the safe, accurate and efficient delivery of all clinical correspondence, referrals, medical reports, laboratory results, and patient communications.
The role requires excellent communication skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to lead teams in a fast-paced environment. While NHS experience is an advantage, it is not essentialwe welcome candidates with proven experience managing people and processes in a busy operational setting.
Key relationships - Clinical Team: GPs, Nurses, Pharmacists, PAs, Paramedics, AHPs (for referrals, test results, and patient preparation).
- Non-Clinical Team: Reception, Triage, Data & Performance, Patient Experience (for coordination and record management).
- Patients: Direct interaction for basic checks, specimen collection, and explaining procedures.
- External stakeholders: hospital trusts, community services, insurers, solicitors, laboratories
Key responsibilities - A. Leadership of Multiple Administrative Teams
You will provide day-to-day supervision, support and performance oversight across several key functions, including Referrals, Medical Reports, Document Assessment Team and Lab reports team
- Leadership responsibilities include:
- Daily oversight of work queues and volumes
- Coaching and pastoral support
- Rota planning and leave management
- Onboarding, competency sign-off and ongoing training
B. Training, Quality & Performance Framework - Deliver structured training across all admin workstreams.
- Conduct regular audits (coding accuracy, referral timeliness, lab results completion).
- Monitor and report on KPIs, including turnaround times, quality scores and workflow volumes.
- Support the Service Manager in implementing improvement plans.
- Maintain consistency with SOPs, clinical governance, and record management standards.
C. Stakeholder Engagement Internal & External - Act as an escalation point for complex workflow or correspondence issues
- Ensure smooth communication pathways across teams
- Support service redesign in collaboration with clinical leadership
- Build positive working relationships with external organisations
D. Process Oversight & Problem Solving - Ensure consistent and efficient processing across all administrative workflows.
- Identify process gaps and lead improvements to enhance patient safety and efficiency.
- Troubleshoot operational issues and implement sustainable solutions.
- Support updates of Penrose Portal 7SOPs, training packs and workflow guides.
E. Quality Measurement & Governance - Regularly measure quality through audits, sampling, and staff feedback.
- Support incident reporting and root-cause investigations.
- Ensure best practice in data protection, confidentiality, and clinical accuracy.
- Maintain robust record-keeping in line with NHS and organisational standards.
F. Patient Engagement & Experience - Ensure administrative processes support smooth and timely communication with patients.
- Oversee accurate follow-up of results, referrals, and clinical enquiries.
- Support timely responses to patient feedback, complaints and queries.
- Identify improvements that enhance patient engagement and reduce avoidable delays.
Person Specification
Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of operational workflows in a high-volume service environment
- Knowledge of people management practices (performance, coaching, rotas, training)
- Understanding of data accuracy, confidentiality and information governance principles
- Awareness of quality assurance or compliance frameworks in regulated sectors
Desirable
- Knowledge and experience in healthcare, primary care or regulated environments
- Familiarity with EMIS, Anima, NHS e-Referrals or similar systems
- Understanding of clinical correspondence pathways (results, referrals, documents)
Skills
Essential
- Proven experience supervising or managing teams in a busy operational setting
- Ability to manage workload allocation, queues and deadlines
- Strong communication skills across multiple stakeholder groups
- Ability to analyse issues, spot trends and implement practical solutions
- Confident using digital systems and learning new software quickly
- Ability to train staff and embed consistent standards
- Ability to write clear SOPs or internal guidance (even basic ones)
Desirable
- Experience conducting audits and leading quality improvement work
- Experience using reporting tools or dashboards to monitor KPIs
- Experience onboarding new starters and signing off competencies
Behaviours
Essential
- High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy
- Calm under pressure with the ability to make sound decisions
- Positive, supportive leadership style with a focus on coaching
- Takes accountability for performance and quality standards
- Professional, reliable and consistent communicator
- Open to feedback and continuous improvement
Desirable
- Demonstrated ability to influence change across teams
- Appetite for developing new systems or processes
Qualifications
Essential
- RQF Level 2 in English and Maths e.g. GCSE (or equivalent)
Desirable
- Qualification in leadership, supervision, business administration or healthcare administration
- Evidence of CPD in coaching, quality improvement, data accuracy, or process management
Person Specification
Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of operational workflows in a high-volume service environment
- Knowledge of people management practices (performance, coaching, rotas, training)
- Understanding of data accuracy, confidentiality and information governance principles
- Awareness of quality assurance or compliance frameworks in regulated sectors
Desirable
- Knowledge and experience in healthcare, primary care or regulated environments
- Familiarity with EMIS, Anima, NHS e-Referrals or similar systems
- Understanding of clinical correspondence pathways (results, referrals, documents)
Skills
Essential
- Proven experience supervising or managing teams in a busy operational setting
- Ability to manage workload allocation, queues and deadlines
- Strong communication skills across multiple stakeholder groups
- Ability to analyse issues, spot trends and implement practical solutions
- Confident using digital systems and learning new software quickly
- Ability to train staff and embed consistent standards
- Ability to write clear SOPs or internal guidance (even basic ones)
Desirable
- Experience conducting audits and leading quality improvement work
- Experience using reporting tools or dashboards to monitor KPIs
- Experience onboarding new starters and signing off competencies
Behaviours
Essential
- High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy
- Calm under pressure with the ability to make sound decisions
- Positive, supportive leadership style with a focus on coaching
- Takes accountability for performance and quality standards
- Professional, reliable and consistent communicator
- Open to feedback and continuous improvement
Desirable
- Demonstrated ability to influence change across teams
- Appetite for developing new systems or processes
Qualifications
Essential
- RQF Level 2 in English and Maths e.g. GCSE (or equivalent)
Desirable
- Qualification in leadership, supervision, business administration or healthcare administration
- Evidence of CPD in coaching, quality improvement, data accuracy, or process management
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
