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Excellent Customer Care

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Summary

Patient experience training for primary care is designed to help reception teams, administrators, care navigators, clinicians and practice managers develop the everyday communication skills that build trust, confidence and positive patient experiences across primary care.

Every interaction shapes how patients feel about their practice. Whether answering the telephone, welcoming someone at reception, responding to concerns or supporting patients through moments of uncertainty, the quality of communication has a lasting impact on patient experience, team confidence and the reputation of the organisation.

Our Excellent Customer Care Training for Primary Care provides practical, evidence-informed communication skills that help staff communicate with empathy, professionalism and consistency. Delegates leave with greater confidence to build rapport, manage expectations and create positive experiences throughout every patient interaction.

Aims

Patient experience training for primary care equips delegates with practical communication skills that improve everyday patient interactions while building trust, confidence and positive patient experiences.

  • Understand what creates an outstanding patient experience within primary care.
  • Develop communication skills that build rapport, trust and confidence.
  • Recognise how first impressions influence patient satisfaction and organisational reputation.
  • Explore empathy, active listening and compassionate communication techniques.
  • Develop confidence when managing patient expectations professionally and respectfully.
  • Understand the importance of consistency across the whole practice team.
  • Recognise the influence that every member of the practice has on patient experience.
  • Identify practical approaches that improve communication while supporting staff wellbeing.
How Long Is The Course?

This Excellent Customer Care Training programme is typically delivered as a half-day interactive workshop, although duration and content can be adapted to meet organisational requirements.

The programme combines facilitated discussion, self-reflection, practical exercises and workplace examples to help participants develop effective customer care skills that can be applied immediately.

Delegates explore first impressions, active listening, empathy, managing expectations, communication skills, emotional intelligence and service recovery techniques that contribute to exceptional patient experiences.

Who Should Attend?

This programme is designed for anyone who communicates directly with patients, service users, relatives or members of the public and wishes to improve customer care, communication and patient experience.

  • Receptionists
  • Care Navigators
  • Patient Access Teams
  • Medical Reception Managers
  • Reception Supervisors
  • Practice Administrators
  • Care Coordinators
  • Patient Services Advisors
  • General Practice Support Staff
  • Primary Care Network Teams
  • Healthcare Administrators
  • Call Handling Teams
  • Nurses and Healthcare Assistants
  • Anyone responsible for delivering patient-facing services

The course is particularly valuable for organisations wishing to improve patient satisfaction, strengthen communication skills and support staff in delivering consistently high standards of customer care.

Additional Information

Patient Experience Training for Primary Care Teams

Positive patient experiences are created through hundreds of everyday interactions. From answering the telephone and welcoming patients at reception to responding to concerns and providing reassurance, every conversation contributes to how people feel about their practice.

This patient experience training for primary care develops the everyday communication skills that build trust, confidence and positive patient experiences. Rather than relying on scripts or standard responses, delegates explore how empathy, curiosity and professionalism create more meaningful conversations while maintaining appropriate boundaries.

Patient Experience Training in Everyday Practice

Patients rarely judge their experience on a single event. Instead, they remember how they were treated, whether they felt listened to and whether staff genuinely appeared interested in helping them. This course explores how seemingly small communication behaviours can have a significant impact on patient satisfaction, confidence and trust.

Delegates develop practical skills that can immediately improve face-to-face, telephone and digital communication across every stage of the patient journey.

Building Trust Through Everyday Communication

Trust develops through consistency, empathy and professionalism. Delegates explore techniques that build rapport quickly, demonstrate genuine interest and help patients feel respected, even during busy clinics and demanding workloads.

The course encourages delegates to consider communication from the patient’s perspective, helping them understand how language, tone, body language and active listening influence every interaction.

Managing Expectations with Compassion and Professionalism

Primary care teams frequently need to explain processes, manage expectations and communicate information that patients may not want to hear. This course explores practical approaches that maintain positive relationships while remaining honest, respectful and professional.

Delegates develop confidence to communicate clearly without becoming defensive, helping reduce misunderstandings and strengthening relationships between patients and practice teams.

Creating a Positive Practice Culture

Excellent patient experience depends upon consistency across the whole organisation. Every member of the practice contributes to the culture patients experience.

Our patient experience training for primary care encourages teams to develop shared communication standards, mutual support and a collective commitment to delivering compassionate, patient-centred care.

Supporting the Wider Communication Pathway

This course provides the foundation for our wider Communication & Patient Experience pathway. Delegates wishing to build further confidence can progress to Difficult Patient Conversations Training, while those responsible for directing patients towards appropriate services may also benefit from our Essential Care Navigation Training.

Practices wishing to develop more inclusive communication can also explore our Supporting Neurodivergent Patients in Primary Care course.

Why Choose Striding Edge for Patient Experience Training?

Striding Edge Consultancy specialises in communication training for NHS primary care teams. Our programmes combine practical communication skills with a deeper understanding of people, helping delegates develop confidence that feels authentic rather than scripted.

We believe excellent patient experience begins with understanding people before trying to solve problems. This philosophy runs throughout our communication programmes and supports stronger relationships between patients, colleagues and primary care teams.

For further guidance on personalised care and patient-centred communication, visit the NHS England Personalised Care programme.

Delegate Feedback

Excellent Customer Care
SE Combined Client - 9th July 2026

8 delegates completed evaluations, each scoring 4 domains out of 6

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