Reception Manager

We are delighted to be recruiting to this newly created Reception Manager role at Leatside Surgery.

As part of our continued investment in patient access, service improvement and staff development, we have created this position to provide dedicated operational leadership for our reception team.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced manager who enjoys leading people, improving services and making a real difference to both patients and colleagues. You will provide visible, hands on leadership within our busy reception team, supporting the team to deliver an exceptional patient experience whilst ensuring services remain safe, efficient and responsive.

Working closely with the Operations Manager and wider leadership team, you will have the opportunity to shape this new role, influence how reception services develop and support the delivery of organisational priorities. Alongside leading the team, you will remain actively involved in day to day operations, providing support during periods of high demand and helping to continually improve the way we deliver care to our patients.

If you are an approachable, supportive leader with a passion for continuous improvement and developing high performing teams, we would love to hear from you.

Interviews are scheduled to take place on 5 August 2026, and candidates must be available to attend on this date.

Main duties of the job

The Reception Manager will provide day to day operational leadership of the reception team, ensuring patients receive a consistently high quality, professional and compassionate service.

You will line manage the reception team, leading recruitment, induction, training, appraisals, wellbeing reviews, attendance management and performance development. You will oversee workforce planning and reception rotas, ensuring safe staffing levels and effective service delivery.

The role will lead service improvement initiatives, implement new ways of working, develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures, monitor quality and performance, and work collaboratively with clinicians and managers to improve patient access and experience.

You will act as the first management point of contact for reception related complaints, investigating concerns, identifying themes and implementing learning to improve services.

This is a visible, hands on leadership role. You will work alongside the reception team, undertaking Receptionist and Triage Administrator duties when required to support service continuity during periods of sickness, annual leave, training, peak demand or operational pressures.

The postholder will also support wider organisational projects, digital transformation and continuous improvement across the practice.

About us

Leatside Surgery is a friendly, forward thinking General Practice based in the beautiful market town of Totnes, serving over 15,000 patients across South Devon.

We are proud of our supportive culture and believe that looking after our staff enables us to provide outstanding care for our patients. We are committed to continuous improvement, encouraging innovation, learning and collaboration across all teams.

As a training practice with a strong focus on quality improvement, patient experience and staff wellbeing, we continually invest in developing our people and services. Our multidisciplinary team works closely together to deliver safe, effective and compassionate care, and we value the ideas and contributions of every member of staff.

This is an exciting time to join Leatside Surgery as we continue to develop our services and strengthen our leadership team. We are looking for someone who shares our values, enjoys working collaboratively and wants to play an active role in shaping the future of our reception service and improving the experience of our patients every day.

Job responsibilities

We are seeking an enthusiastic, experienced and motivated Reception Manager to lead our busy reception team at Leatside Surgery. This newly created role has been established as part of our commitment to strengthening operational leadership, improving patient access and investing in our staff. The successful candidate will provide visible, hands on leadership, ensuring reception services are delivered safely, efficiently and with an exceptional focus on patient experience.

Working closely with the Operations Manager and wider leadership team, the Reception Manager will lead the day to day operation of the reception department whilst supporting service improvement, workforce development and organisational change.

This is a practical leadership role where the successful candidate will work alongside the reception team, maintaining an understanding of operational pressures and providing support during periods of increased demand, sickness absence or annual leave to ensure continuity of service.

Main Responsibilities

• Lead the day to day management of the reception team.
• Ensure reception services are delivered safely, efficiently and consistently.
• Oversee reception rotas and workforce planning to maintain appropriate staffing levels.
• Monitor workload and patient demand, responding proactively to operational pressures.
• Support the reception team during busy periods by undertaking Receptionist and Triage Administrator duties where required.
• Act as the senior point of escalation for operational reception issues.
• Work collaboratively with the wider management team to continually improve patient access and service delivery.

Leadership and People Management

• Provide direct line management to reception staff.
• Lead recruitment, induction and probation processes.
• Undertake regular one to one meetings, wellbeing reviews and annual appraisals.
• Support staff development through coaching, mentoring and performance management.
• Manage attendance, conduct and capability issues in line with practice policies.
• Foster a positive, supportive and accountable team culture.
• Lead by example and promote professionalism, compassion and excellent customer service.

Training and Development

• Lead the induction and ongoing development of reception staff.
• Identify learning needs and support individual development plans.
• Ensure mandatory training is completed and monitored.
• Coordinate and deliver training on reception systems, processes and patient communication where appropriate.
• Support succession planning and development of future team leaders.

Complaints and Patient Experience

• Act as the first point of management contact for all complaints, seeking to de escalate concerns wherever possible, acknowledge issues promptly and escalating to the appropriate line manager where required.
• Manage all reception related complaints through to resolution, ensuring concerns are handled professionally, consistently, and in line with practice procedures.
• Investigate complaints, concerns and incidents thoroughly and professionally.
• Identify trends and learning opportunities from patient feedback.
• Implement improvements to enhance patient experience and prevent recurrence.
• Promote a culture of openness, learning and continuous improvement.

Service Improvement

• Lead the implementation of new systems, processes and ways of working.
• Review and improve reception workflows to enhance efficiency and patient experience.
• Develop, implement and review Standard Operating Procedures.
• Support wider organisational projects, digital transformation and service redesign.
• Use performance data, audits and patient feedback to drive improvements.

Quality and Governance

• Monitor reception performance and quality standards.
• Undertake audits of reception processes.
• Ensure compliance with practice policies, NHS guidance and information governance requirements.
• Investigate operational incidents and implement corrective actions where required.
• Prepare reports and updates for the Operations Manager and Leadership Team.

Communication

• Build strong working relationships across clinical and administrative teams.
• Communicate organisational changes effectively to the reception team.
• Represent the reception function within management meetings and operational projects.
• Promote effective communication between patients and the practice.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Previous experience managing or supervising a team.
• Excellent leadership, communication and organisational skills.
• Experience managing competing priorities in a busy environment.
• Ability to motivate, support and develop staff.
• Strong problem solving and decision making skills.
• Good IT skills with the ability to learn new systems quickly.
• Previous experience within General Practice, Primary Care or another healthcare setting.
• Experience of complaints management.
• Experience leading service improvement or change projects.
• Knowledge of NHS systems and patient access.
• Experience using SystmOne or similar clinical systems.

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.