PRACTICE CHARTER
OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
You will be treated as a partner in the care you receive.
You will be treated as an individual and will be given courtesy and respect at all times.
You have the right to be treated confidentially.
You will be entitled to have a copy of our practice booklet.
We will try to answer the phone promptly and courteously.
You will be able to see a doctor of your choice, where possible, within five working days. Please remember that some doctors are part time and will not therefore be so available.
We provide ten minute appointments per patient. (Five minutes in emergency surgeries.) Extra time is allocated for certain procedures, eg smears, health checks etc.
We will try to see you within 30 minutes of your appointment time. On occasions one or more patients within a surgery may present complex problems and this may inevitably lead
to long delays. You will be offered an explanation if delays occur.
If surgeries have to be cancelled for any reason we will try to notify you within 24 hours.
If you have an urgent problem, a doctor will see you as soon as possible on that same day. This may not be your usual doctor.
We will visit you at home if you are too ill or infirm to attend the surgery.
Medical emergencies arising outside normal surgery hours will be dealt with by the out of hours service.
We will explain the likely effects of any drugs and review your long-term medical needs at agreed times.
Repeat prescriptions will normally be ready within 48 hours of the request.
We will advise you about how and when to obtain the results of any tests or x-rays you have undergone.
If we believe that you need a second opinion we will try to help you get this.
We will inform you how you can make suggestions and complaints about the services we offer.
We will maintain accurate medical records.
You have the right to see your computer records and also your written medical records compiled after November 1991.
We will offer advice and information about how you can promote good health and avoid illness. Health promotion checks are held on a regular basis by our nurses.
We have the right to remove patients from our list.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
Help us to help you. Being a partner means that we have responsibilities to each other.
We ask that you treat the doctors and all practice staff with the same respect and courtesy.
Please read our practice booklet carefully. Together with this website it will help you get the best out of the service we offer.
The first hour of the morning is the busiest time for our receptionists - please keep calls brief and try to call outside peak times ie call after 9.30am for all non-urgent requests.
Please remember that the doctor may not always be available due to other commitments such as study leave, holidays etc. Please remember that an appointment is for one person only. Where another member of the family
needs to see a doctor - even if their symptoms are identical to yours - another appointment should be made. If you require a longer appointment please notify the receptionist at the time of booking.
If we are running late, please be a patient patient because on another occasion it may be YOU who requires extra time.
Please do everything you can to keep your appointments, tell us as soon as possible if you cannot.
Please endeavour to ring between 8.15 and 9.30am for an urgent appointment unless a genuine emergency arises later.
Facilities for examination and treatment are better at the surgery and the less time a doctor spends travelling, the more time is available for patients. Please do not ask for
home visits unless it is strictly necessary. Please request a visit before 10.30am unless a genuine emergency arises later in the day.
The doctor has the right to decide if a home visit is necessary. The doctor may ask you to come to a surgery or arrange to visit you at home.
On several days a week this surgery is telephone 'triaged' first by a doctor or nurse. Many problems can be dealt with on the phone, thereby saving time for both the
patient and the practice.
Please remember to check your cupboards before ordering repeat prescriptions.
Please order repeat prescriptions within plenty of time. Late requests place unnecessary strain on the system.
Please allow sufficient time for results to come back to the surgery. Remember to ring outside peak surgery times.
You have the right to ask for a second opinion and to discuss this with your GP.
CONFIDENTIALITY
The practice complies with the Data Protection Act and Access to Medical Records legislation.
To help provide the best possible care, we need to collect information about you e.g. details of clinic visits, results of investigations, etc in manual or computer format accessible to all members of the practice team. Identifiable information will be shared with others:
- To provide accurate and up-to-date information to all health care professionals responsible for your health care.
- To help you access other services if referral is necessary
- When we have a duty to others e.g. notification of infectious diseases
- To enable us to investigate your concerns if you have cause to complain
Anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to provide statistics on NHS performance to allow service planning and payment to NHS care providers. Where it is not possible to use anonymised information, personally identifiable information may be used for essential NHS purposes and this will be done with your consent, or under special circumstances, when approved by the Secretary of State. More information about how we share information can be obtained at Reception.
There are strict rules governing the use of this information and everyone working in the NHS has a legal duty to keep it confidential.
ACCESS TO PATIENT RECORDS
Patients may apply for access to their own records, or may authorise third parties via consent such as solicitors, employers or insurance companies to do so on their behalf. If access is required from the Practice, please apply in writing to the Practice Manager who will reply informing you of the means of access, expected timescale and the fee for copies which may total a maximum fee of £50 for detailed records.
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION – PUBLICATION SCHEME
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 obliges the practice to produce a Publication Scheme. A Publication Scheme is a guide to the ‘classes’ of information the
practice intends to routinely make available.
This scheme is available from reception.
SUGGESTIONS/COMPLAINTS
We are always keen to improve our service, and suggestions are gratefully received at reception or direct to the practice manager. Complaints will
be taken seriously and dealt with using our practice based procedure which meets national criteria. Our practice manager will be able to give you further details. If you are still not satisfied you will be advised
on how to proceed further.
PPG
We welcome patients who are intrested in getting involved with our practice. This can either be as a committee member, or part of our email-based group. Please fill in a form at reception if you are interested.
ZERO TOLERANCE
We strongly support the NHS policy on zero tolerance. Anyone attending the surgery who abuses the GPs, staff or other patients be it verbally, physically or in any
threatening manner whatsoever, will risk removal from the practice list. In extreme cases we may summon the police to remove offenders from the practice premises.
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