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Practice CharterHelp Us To Help YouYour responsibilities - By following a healthy lifestyle and thus minimising health risks, you will be helping not only your doctor but yourself. - Please try to attend appointments on time. If you have to change or cancel an appointment, tell the practice as soon as you can. - Please be patient if your appointment is delayed. We will try to keep delays to a minimum and to keep you informed. Remember delays are often caused by patients needing emergency treatment. - Requests for repeat prescriptions should be made in plenty of time to avoid a last minute panic or even a gap in your treatment. - Whilst privacy is at all times respected, reception staff may need further details about your condition to help the doctor assess the degree of urgency. - Be sure to notify us promptly of any change of address or family details such as marriage and don't forget that you need to register your new baby as a patient, using the normal registration form which is availbale from reception. - Home visits should be regarded as a service for the genuinely housebound or seriously ill. If in doubt telephone us for advice. - Similarly, telephone calls at night should only be made when felt to be absolutely necessary. - The job of doctors' receptionists can be stressful. They will do their best to help you at all times, so please try to be patient and courteous in return. We will not tolerate violent, threatening or abusive behaviour towards any of our staff or doctors or towards other patients on our premises. Incidents may be reported to the Police and the perpetrators removed from the practice's patient list without further warning. Your rightsAs an NHS patient you are entitled to: - Be greeted in a friendly and courteous manner. - Receive general medical care from a GP on the basis of clinical need alone. - Change to another GP Practice if you wish. - Receive emergency medical care. - Be treated by an NHS GP if you are away from home anywhere in the UK. - Be offered a health check when first registering with a GP. - Request a health check if you have not seen a GP for more than three years. - Be offered a yearly check in the health centre or at home if you are over 75. - Be treated by another GP in the practice if your own doctor is unavailable. - Be assured of confidentiality in all contacts with the doctors, nurses and staff. - Have access to your medical records subject to any limitations in law. - Be referred to a consultant acceptable to you when your GP thinks it necessary. - Be given a clear explanation of any treatment including the possible risks and alternatives. - Choose whether or not to take part in medical research or student training. - Receive invitations for cervical screening if you are a woman aged 20 - 65 years and for breast screening if you are between the ages of 50 and 65. - Receive advice about health, diet, exercise and smoking as well as alcohol, drug and solvent abuse. - Have a complaint about any NHS service properly investigated. ComplaintsIf you have any complaints, please write or speak to the practice manager, Michael Standing. We aim to provide the highest levels of service to all of our patients, but occasionally things do go wrong. Should this happen we will do our best to put matters right as quickly as possible. We will hold an investigation, give a full explanation and an apology when one is due. We would prefer more serious complaints to be made in writing. We will aim to acknowledge your letter within two days of receipt and to respond fully within 20 working days. Most cases can be settled between us to everyone's satisfaction, but if you feel that you need to take matters further you should contact: The Complaints Manager Telephone: 01372 201715 Freedom Of InformationThe 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. Your recordsThe information we hold about you is confidential, within the practice, and is governed by the Data Protection Act. The practice is registered under this Act. Most information is now kept on our computer system and this enables us to produce statistical information required by our local primary care trust or the Department of Health. This information will not contain anything that would identify individual patients. From time to time we will need to share relevant information about you with other health care professionals to enable you to receive the best treatment. These professionals will include the district nurses, other community nurses and health visitors who are attached to our practice as well as pharmacists and hospital consultants to whom you are referred. You may have access to your medical records, by arrangement with the practice manager, subject to any limitations in law. Requests need to be made in writing. You may not remove any of your records but photocopies can be arranged (for which a charge per sheet will be made). There is a fixed fee of £10, as set by the Data Protection Act, for you to access your records. |
