18/02/2026
What is a Patient Services Advisor? Formally known as Receptionist..
This reflects the wide range of responsibilities they carry out each day to support both our patients and our clinical team.
Patient Services Advisors are your first point of contact with the surgery. They:
✅ Greet and direct patients
✅ Answer phone calls and respond to queries
✅ Book appointments
✅ Process information and paperwork
✅ Support the clinical and administration teams
✅ Liaise with external services and healthcare providers
⭐️ They are trained to ask certain questions. They may ask, “Why do you need to be seen?” This is to make sure you receive:
• the most appropriate medical care
• from the most appropriate health professional
• at the most appropriate time
⭐️ Patient Services Advisors are asked to collect brief information from patients to:
• help doctors prioritise home visits and phone calls
• make sure all patients receive the appropriate level of care
• direct patients to a nurse or another health professional, rather than a doctor, where appropriate
⭐️ Patient Services Advisors, like all members of the team, are bound by confidentiality rules:
• any information you give is treated as strictly confidential
• the surgery would take any breach of confidentiality very seriously and deal with it accordingly
• you can ask to speak to an advisor in private, away from the reception desk
• if you feel an issue is very private and do not wish to say what it is, this will be respected
Our team manages a high volume of calls daily, and we appreciate your patience and kindness. It can be a challenging role, but they are here to help - and a little kindness goes a long way.
*no real patient data was used during this photo*
