About this role
Job summary
As our multisite Operations Manager for the Patient Welcome Teams, youll take real ownership of how our practices run day to day. Youll be the driving force that keeps everything moving, making sure every patient is welcomed warmly, every day runs safely and smoothly, and every colleague has what they need to perform at their best.
Youll lead our brilliant Patient Welcome Teams with energy and purpose - setting clear standards, keeping morale high, and stepping in wherever needed to keep things on track. This is a handson, visible role where youre right at the heart of the action: supporting teams on the ground, fixing issues in real time, and making quick, practical decisions that keep both sites running like welloiled machines.
Youll act as our onsite Health & Safety lead, proactively maintaining safe, compliant, and welcoming environments. Youll work closely with clinical teams, facilities, and central functions to spot risks early, streamline processes, and remove friction before it impacts patients or staff. No two days will look the same, and thats exactly the point. Youll see what needs doing and dive in.
Your focus is on people, operations, and delivery. If youre energised by fastpaced environments, motivated by visible impact, and the kind of person who rolls up their sleeves and makes things happen, youll thrive in this role, and feel right at home at Penrose Health.
Main duties of the job Youll be doing things like:
Lead and develop the Patient Welcome/Reception teams, ensuring high standards, strong performance, and consistent staffing aligned to demand. Manage rotas, workload, and daily workforce allocation to maintain smooth operations and excellent patient-facing service. Oversee frontdesk and patient flow operations, ensuring efficient checkin, accurate data capture, and a consistently positive patient experience. Monitor and deliver operational KPIs, using data to identify issues quickly and drive continuous service improvement. Act as onsite Health & Safety Officer, ensuring full compliance, risk management, and a safe environment for patients and staff. Ensure both sites remain clean, organised, and operationally ready, coordinating with Facilities to resolve issues promptly. Work closely with clinical teams to support safe, effective clinical delivery, removing operational barriers and ensuring observations are completed. Escalate clinical or patient safety risks quickly and appropriately. Plan and run key operational meetings and PLT sessions, ensuring actions are completed and improvements implemented. Support audit, compliance, and inspection preparation to maintain high standards across sites. Drive continuous improvement across both locations, identifying gaps and implementing solutions rapidly. Collaborate with other managers to create consistent standards and shared best practice across all sites.
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
You will lead the daytoday operational delivery of multiple GP Practices, ensuring they are safe, wellorganised, and consistently deliver a highquality, welcoming patient experience. As the leader of the Patient Welcome Team, you will ensure every patient receives a professional, efficient, and friendly service from the moment they arrive.
This is a handson operational leadership role, responsible for the smooth running of reception and waiting areas, managing team performance, rotas, and workload, and supporting frontline colleagues to maintain excellent service flow and KPI delivery. You will act as the onsite Health & Safety Officer, upholding site standards, compliance, and environmental safety while working closely with clinical, nonclinical, Facilities Management, and central teams.
You will be a key operational partner to clinical leadership, ensuring the sites run efficiently, staff are effective and supported, and the environment reflects our values of compassion, professionalism, and teamwork.
Key relationships Operations Director: reporting on performance, risks, people, and improvements Reception/Welcome Team members: day-to-day leadership, supervision, and support. Clinical team (GPs, nurses, HCAs, and other clinicians): daily coordination to maintain smooth patient flow. Central administrative and call-handling teams: collaboration to ensure consistent patient service across all channels. Facilities Management team: coordination on Health & Safety, cleaning, maintenance, and equipment. Patients and carers: positive, front-line interaction and issue resolution. People & Performance team: onboarding, training, and performance management support.Key responsibilities1. Patient Experience and Operational Delivery Oversee the smooth daily running of frontdesk and patient welcome operations, ensuring efficient checkin, patient flow, and consistently high service quality. Ensure patient details and key health information are updated accurately at every visit. Monitor appointment books and service flow, identifying and correcting scheduling or operational issues, and coordinating with central teams where needed. Maintain high onsite visibility, proactively identifying and resolving operational issues and preventing recurrence. Ensure both sites are consistently clean, organised, professional, and reflective of organisational values and patient experience standards. Ensure the environment enables safe, efficient clinical and nonclinical workflows. Deliver operational KPIs across both sites, including patient flow, checkin times, capture of required observations, and overall service performance. Monitor and act on daily performance indicators, conduct audits, and use data to identify trends and drive continuous improvement. Engage with patients to gather feedback, support health awareness initiatives, and contribute to service improvement efforts. Lead the organisation and delivery of Patient Participation Group (PPG) meetings to encourage transparency and patient involvement. Implement new systems, processes, and technologies to improve service efficiency and patient experience. Ensure consistent standards, processes, and expectations are applied across both sites. Provide building tours, site inductions, and orientation for new staff, visitors, and temporary workers.2. Health & Safety, Facilities & Environmental Standards Act as the onsite Health & Safety Officer for both locations, ensuring full compliance with statutory requirements and internal policies. Conduct regular H&S and infection control checks, complete documentation, and run fire drills. Maintain uptodate risk assessments and incident management processes. Taking ownership of ensuring all areas meet high standards of cleanliness, hygiene, and presentation. Work with Facilities Management to resolve premises, maintenance, or equipment issues promptly. Manage site supplies, ensuring appropriate stock levels across offices and shared spaces. Report IT or equipment faults quickly and assist with basic troubleshooting.3. Supporting Clinical Quality & Service Flow Work closely with the Lead GP and clinical teams to ensure operational processes support safe, effective clinical care. Remove operational barriers impacting clinicians, ensuring rooms, schedules, and equipment support smooth clinical delivery. Ensure required observations (e.g., vitals) are captured reliably and consistently. Escalate clinical risks, operational issues, or patient safety concerns quickly and appropriately.4. Operational Coordination & Governance Plan and run Protected Learning Time (PLT) sessions and other onsite forums. Track actions and carry out follow up to ensure delivery of improvements. Support preparation for inspections, audits, and compliance activities.5. Continuous Improvement & CrossSite Collaboration Identify gaps in service delivery, environment, processes, and team performance, and implement practical improvements rapidly. Drive consistency across sites by reducing unwarranted variation in performance or standards. Work closely with other Site Operations Managers and central teams to share best practice and ensure all sites operate as an aligned group. Contribute to and support groupwide initiatives, offering cross-site cover when required. Maintain shared accountability for outcomes across all sites - no site operates in isolation.6. Team Leadership & Workforce Management Lead and manage the Patient Welcome/Reception teams across both sites, ensuring a consistently professional, welcoming, highquality service. Manage rotas, schedules, and staffing levels so coverage aligns with service demand, cost, and staff wellbeing. Maintain daily visibility of staffing vs. demand and reallocate resource across sites to maintain continuity during peaks or gaps. Provide daytoday supervision, coaching, and performance management, addressing underperformance early and consistently. Proactively manage sickness and attendance, including monitoring patterns, conducting returntowork conversations, and escalating concerns. Run regular team meetings and contribute to wider practice and patient forums to maintain strong communication and feedback loops.Key Outputs Sites that are consistently safe, clean, wellrun, and patientcentred Strong delivery of operational KPIs and service flow Reliable capture of required observations High patient satisfaction with reduced complaints Stable staffing and improved workforce reliability Minimal service disruption due to proactive planning Clear, effective operational support to clinical teams Consistent standards and experience across both sites
Person Specification
Knowledge Essential
Understanding of confidentiality, data protection, and patient privacy. Awareness of NHS or healthcare operational standards. Knowledge of Health & Safety responsibilities in the workplace. Understanding of patient engagement and feedback processes.
Desirable
Knowledge of infection control procedures.
Qualifications Essential
GCSE (or equivalent) English and Maths.
Desirable
Health & Safety, first aid, or management qualification.
Skills Essential
Calm, professional approach when dealing with patients or staff. Competent IT user, comfortable with clinical and administrative systems. Confident handling competing priorities and fast-paced environments. Strong organisational and time management skills. Ability to manage, motivate, and develop a small team. Excellent leadership and communication skills.
Desirable
Experience using EMIS or other healthcare software. Strong facilitation and meeting coordination skills.
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.
Employer details Employer name Penrose Health
Address Lewisham Medical Centre, 308 Lee High Rd
London
London
SE13 5PJ
Employer's website https://www.penrosehealth.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)