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Practice CharterOur Responsibillity to youWe are committed to giving you the best possible care. Names: People involved in your care will give you their names and ensure that you know how to contact them. The surgery should be well signposted and the doctors' or nurses' names indicated on their surgery doors. Waiting Time: We run an appointment system in this practice. You will be given a time at which the doctor or nurse hopes to be able to see you. You should not have to wait more than 20 minutes in the waiting room without receiving an explanation for the delay. Access: You will have access to a doctor on the same day in case of emergency, otherwise within one working day. We will arrange a home visit as appropriate for those who are too ill or infirm to be brought to the surgery. Telephone: We will try to answer the phone promptly and ensure that there are sufficient staff to do this. You should be able to speak to a doctor by telephone but it is likely you will be asked by the receptionist to phone back to speak to the doctor at a specific time. Please bear with us if you have to wait when you phone back, we will speak to you as soon as possible. We do not take routine telephone calls during afternoon surgery. Test Results: We ask patients to phone seven days after blood tests and two weeks after x-rays. The receptionist will be able to read the doctor's comments and book appointments as necessary. They are not medically qualified so cannot interpret the results themselves. Respect: Patients will be treated as individuals and partners in their healthcare, irrespective of their ethnic origin or religious and cultural beliefs. Information: We will give you full information about the services we offer. Every effort will be made to ensure that you receive that information which directly affects your health and the care being offered. Health Promotion: The practice will offer patients advice and information on: steps they can take to promote good health and avoid illness; self-help which can be undertaken without reference to a doctor in the case of minor ailments. Health Records: You have the right to see your health records, subject to limitations in the law. These will be kept confidential at all times.
Your Responsibillity to us- Help us to help you! - Please let us know if you change your name, address or telephone number. - Please do everything you can to keep appointments. - Tell us as soon as possible if you cannot, otherwise, other patients may have to wait longer. - We need help too! Please ask for home visits by the doctor only when the patient is too ill to visit the surgery. - Please keep your phone call brief and avoid calling during the peak morning time for non-urgent matters. - Test results take time to reach us, so please do not ring before you have been asked to do so. - Enquiries about tests ordered by the hospital should be directed to the hospital, not the practice. - We ask that you treat the doctors and the practice staff with courtesy and respect. - Please read our practice booklet. Along with this website it will help you get the best out of the services we offer. - It is important that you understand the information given to you. Please ask us questions if you are unsure of anything. - Remember, you are responsible for your own health and the health of your children. - We will give you our professional help and advice. Please act upon it. ConfidentialityWe ask you for personal information so that you can receive appropriate care and treatment. This information is recorded on computer and we are registered under the Data Protection Act. The practice will ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained at all times by all members of the practice team, However, for the effective functioning of a multi-disciplinary team it is sometimes necessary that medical information about you is shared between members of the team. Comments & ComplaintsIf you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received please contact the practice manger in the first instance. We hope that most problems can be resolved quickly and easily, preferably at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If this is not possible we will endeavour to acknowledge your complaint within three working days, expressing apologies for any inconvenience or distress caused. If someone is complaining on behalf of a patient written authority from the patient will be required. Every effort will be made to resolve the problem amicably. However, if you feel that these issues have still not been dealt with effectively, you can ask the Healthcare Commission to review your case. This should be done within two months of failure to resolve the issue at practice level. In this event you should contact: The Independent Complaints Advisory Service (ICAS) may also be able to help and can provide arbitration or advice as to how to proceed with your complaint. You can contact them on 0845 120 3748 (Local Rate) Zero ToleranceWe 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. 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. |
