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Patients
Charter - Practice Charter
We
are committed to giving all our patients the best possible service. This will
be achieved by working together. Help us to help you.
Patients have the right to be greeted in a welcoming manner in all circumstances
and have the right to be treated with courtesy and dignity irrespective of their
race, colour or ethnic origin.
Staff whom you meet face to face will wear name badges so that you know who they
are and what they do.
Patients will normally be seen within 20 minutes of their appointment time. When
there is likely to be a delay patients have the right to be informed.
The practice will offer advice and seek to inform patients how they can promote
good health and avoid illness.
Patients have the right to see their medical records subject to any limitations
in the law.
No care or treatment will be given without consent.
Patients who have not seen the doctor during the past three years have the right
to a health check.
Patients who are over 75 years of age have the right to have annual checks either
in the surgery or at home.
Patients'
Responsibilities
Patients
should keep their appointments. Please inform the practice, as soon as possible,
if you are unable to keep your appointment.
The doctor's time is limited and many patients need to be seen. It is the responsibility
of the patient not to delay the doctor unnecessarily and to be aware of other
patients' needs to consult. However, some patients may need longer consultations
due to the nature of their illness and the doctor may be delayed.
An appointment is for one person only. Where another member of the family needs
to be seen, another appointment needs to be made.
A doctor can see many more patients in the surgery than visiting. It is the responsibility
of patients to come to the surgery when not prevented by serious illness.
Patients should treat staff with courtesy and respect at all times. It is not
their fault if the doctor is delayed.
Out of hours calls are for emergencies only. Doctors should be called out when
the surgery is closed only in an emergency.
Comments
And Suggestions
We are happy to accept and consider comments and suggestions from our patients.
Please present your views in writing at reception.
Complaints
Procedure
We always try to provide the best services possible, but there may be times when
you feel this has not happened. The following information explains our in-house
complaints procedure, drawn up to respond to patient grievances. The practice
procedure is not able to deal with questions of legal liability or compensation.
We hope you will use it to allow us to look into and, if necessary, correct any
problems that you have identified, or mistakes that have been made. If you use
this procedure it will not affect your right to complain to the Primary Care Trust.
Please note that we have to respect our duty of confidentiality to patients and
a patient's consent will be necessary if the complaint is not made by the patient
in person. If you wish to make a complaint, please telephone or write to our practice
manager Elizabeth Clarke. Full details will be taken and a decision made on how
best to undertake the investigation.
We believe it is important to deal with complaints swiftly, so you will be offered
an appointment for a meeting to discuss the details within two days. Occasionally
it may take longer, but we will keep you informed throughout. You may bring a
friend or relative with you to the meeting. We will try to address your concerns,
provide you with an explanation and discuss any action that may be needed.
Confidentiality
We 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.
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