Practice Charter

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF PATIENTS

Please treat your doctors and their staff as you would like to be treated by them - with politeness and respect.

Please cancel appointments you cannot attend or no longer need - somebody else is also waiting.

Please think twice before calling a doctor to your home - is the visit really necessary?

Please do not expect a prescription every time you visit the GP - good advice is often the best medicine.

You can obtain basic health information elsewhere - for example, from your pharmacist or NHS Direct.

Please request your repeat prescription in good time - this will help to avoid delays.

Please remember that doctors are HUMAN - they cannot cure all problems or illnesses.

If you do have a genuine complaint, please contact the Strategic Business/Practice Manager or the Practice Administrator first.

ZERO TOLERANCE

Please note we will not tolerate verbal or physical abuse aimed at the staff or doctors. This is in line with the NHS zero tolerance policy. Anyone found to be abusive in any way will be removed from our list. CCTV is in operation and recordings will be passed to the police if deemed necessary.

DATA PROTECTION

Everyone who works for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential.

You may be receiving care from other people as well as your doctor, eg NHS Hospital Trusts, Social Services, private hospitals, district nurses etc. So that we can all work together for your benefit we may need to share some of your health information. We will only do this if there is a genuine need for it.

Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.

ACCESS TO YOUR HEALTH RECORDS

You have a right of access to your health records. The Data Protection Act 1998 gives you the right to access information held on computer and in certain manual records. If you want to see your records you should make a written request to the NHS organisation where you are being, or have been, treated. You should give your full details in order that information about you may be located. There may be a charge if you require a copy of such information.

Access to letters from and to the hospital can be requested by speaking to the practice secretaries in person or by telephoning 335545.

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.