The Practice Patient's Charter

Patients Charter

As a patient of this practice you have a right to:

Be treated as an individual, with courtesy, respect and dignity at all times

Be offered a health check appointment on registration

Be given the names of people involved in your care and/or treatment

Be given the most appropriate treatment by suitably qualified people and none given without your informed consent

Be referred to a Consultant acceptable to you when your doctor feels such a course of action necessary, and be seen within charter time limits

Receive advice or action you can take to promote good health

Be prepared to receive medical advice over the telephone

Have access to your health records subject to any limitations in the law, be prepared that only with your permission will any of your records be shared with third parties outside the NHS.

Before any such records are copied for third parties, all patients are advised in writing that they have given consent for all their records to be sent. Patients also have the right to withhold details of their records not relevant to the third party.

Have access to suitably qualified clinical personnel at all times for emergencies

Expect a complaint to be treated promptly and in accordance with Health Service Guidelines

A copy of the Practice Leaflet which details all the services available to you within this practice

Patients Responsibilities/what we expect from you

To treat all staff with courtesy and respect

This practice will not tolerate any violent and/or abusive behaviour, and patients may find themselves removed from our list as a result

To attend the surgery instead of requesting a home visit, when at all possible. Arrangements can be made by telephoning first, to keep waiting time to a minimum and gain benefits from surgery facilities. Home visits will only be made in true medical emergency situations. Not having transport is not a medical emergency.

To contact and use the Out of Hours service requesting medical attention appropriately, only for problems that cannot wait until surgery reopens

To be punctual for appointments - one patient one appointment

To inform the receptionists of any change of circumstances for e.g. name/address/telephone

To be patient, delays are sometimes unavoidable

To act in a responsible way while on surgery premises, and keep children under control

Confidentiality and Medical Records

Any person given access to your records will be subject to a duty of confidentiality. You have a right to object to disclosure.

Referrals

When referring you to other healthcare workers the doctors will make available to them details of your medical history. The doctor will respect the wishes of any patient who objects to particular information being shared with others providing care, except where this would put others at risk of serious harm.

Research and Planning

Information about patients is requested for a wide variety of purposes including education, research, monitoring, epidemiology, public health surveillance, clinical audit and planning.