Customer Service Apprentice

Colne Medical Centre

Essex (CO7 0DT)

Closes in 17 days (Sunday 15 February 2026 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 27 January 2026

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Summary

The apprentice will be working in the reception area of the surgery whilst completing their apprenticeship. They will be studying to understand the organisation and services provided, learn the regulations and legislation that affect the surgery, learn our systems as well as learn how to enhance the customer experience.

Wage

£14,722.50 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age

National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Customer service practitioner (level 2)
Hours
Monday to Friday. Shifts TBC.

37 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

Sunday 1 March 2026

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

2

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

  • Answering the telephone in a polite and professional manner with a focus on supporting patients to access the appointment most suited to their needs and responding to all queries in a timely manner.  Receive and make calls as required.  Take messages as appropriate.
  • Efficient use of the appointment system, booking appropriate Clinicians including Extended Access (EA) appointments, booking into the correct appointment and times.  Recording sufficient and accurate information.
  • Liaising professionally between clinical, admin staff, patients, and other agencies to carry out appropriate tasks including but not exclusively:  Patient Access Requests, how to use online services/portals, copies of text results and letters 
  • Completing Tasks in a timely manner, accurately and ensuring actions are communicated between patients and other agencies, reporting any issues arising to a senior member of staff
  • Process post (incoming and outgoing) including liaising with Workflow and Courier, other services as required, maintaining confidentiality and ensuring data breaches are minimised
  • Actioning prescription requests accurately, timely and in line with current policy

Where you'll work

40 Station Road
Brightlingsea
Colchester
Essex
CO7 0DT

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

COLCHESTER INSTITUTE

Training course

Customer service practitioner (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Use a range of questioning skills, including listening and responding in a way that builds rapport, determines customer needs and expectations and achieves positive engagement and delivery.
  • Depending on your job role and work environment: Use appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication skills, along with summarising language during face-to-face communications; and/or
  • Depending on your job role and work environment: Use appropriate communication skills, along with reinforcement techniques (to confirm understanding) during non-facing customer interactions.
  • Depending on your job role and work environment: Use an appropriate ‘tone of voice’ in all communications, including written and digital, that reflect the organisation’s brand.
  • Provide clear explanations and offer options in order to help customers make choices that are mutually beneficial to both the customer and your organisation.
  • Be able to organise yourself, prioritise your own workload/activity and work to meet deadlines.
  • Demonstrate patience and calmness.
  • Show you understand the customer’s point of view.
  • Use appropriate sign-posting or resolution to meet your customers needs and manage expectations.
  • Maintain informative communication during service recovery.

Training schedule

This training schedule has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.

Requirements

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • IT skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Team working
  • Patience

About this employer

The Colte Partnership is a GP super-partnership, formed in June 2017. It brought together 8 local GP surgeries across Colchester and Tendring, serving approx. 80,000 patients. With the combined workforce, skills and knowledge, we are in a unique position to assist our patients across the county.
We pride ourselves on working to be at the forefront of Primary Care in our region and have many exciting ventures on the horizon.

Each of our branches has its own character, and family friendly ethos, which is why our patients love coming to us (and tell us so in our regular patient surveys). However, being a large partnership means we can offer so much more than a local branch can by itself – with specialist clinics, social prescribing and innovative support such as regular dementia cafes.

We strive to look after our employees as well, with generous annual leave, flexible and family friendly working, and support during difficult times such as free counselling.

After this apprenticeship

There is scope to grow within the reception and administration teams at the surgery.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

COLCHESTER INSTITUTE

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000010850.

Apply now

Closes in 17 days (Sunday 15 February 2026 at 11:59pm)