Practice / Patient Charter

Introduction

Our Practice / Patient Charter sets out what you can expect from us and what we in return expect from you.

Maintaining your health is a partnership between you and our Practice team.  The success of that partnership depends on a number of factors:

•	Establishing a shared responsibility to prevent problems before they occur rather than trying to put them right later.
•	Having a clear understanding of each other’s needs.
•	Making feedback on our service possible.

Only by such co-operation will we be able to improve our services and achieve the ultimate goal of a healthier community.

Quality Assurance
To ensure you will get the most out of the Practice we will strive to:

•	Answer the telephone promptly.
•	Provide self-help information on health matters where possible.
•	Continue to undergo training as a Practice.
•	Display information and leaflets in the waiting rooms.
•	Repeat prescriptions will be ready for collection in 48 hours.
•	We will advise you and inform you of steps you can take to promote health and avoid illness.
•	All equipment used in the Practice is regularly serviced.
•	All instruments are either single use or sterilized according to current guidelines.

Our responsibilities to you
•	We will treat all patients equally.
•	You will be greeted in a friendly and welcoming manner.
•	You have a right to confidentiality.
•	You will always be offered a routine appointment with the Doctor of your choice.
•	You will be seen as quickly as possible in a medical emergency situation.

You have a right to information and answers to questions about your own health including any illness and it’s treatment, any / all forms of treatment, possible side effects, likelihood of recovery and prevention and avoidance of illness recurring.

•	You have the right to see your records, subject to the limitation of the law (Data Protection Act, 1990).
•	Your records will be kept confidential.
•	If you have tests of any sort, results will be given on request, only to you.  The Doctor will then advise if further action is necessary.

Practice / Patient Charter 

Your Responsibilities to Us
With your rights come responsibilities, which will enable us to give you the best service possible.

We would ask you to note the following:
•	You are responsible for keeping appointments with us.
•	You are responsible for giving us adequate notice should you wish to cancel or postpone, allowing us to offer the time slot to someone else.
•	The first two hours of the morning are the busiest of the day, you may wish to ring later in the day for routine matters.
•	You should not delay the doctors unnecessarily, they have many patients to see, others also need to consult.
•	You can reduce delays by remembering that an appointment is for ten minutes and for one person only.  Where another member of the family needs to see the doctor, even if it is about childhood ailments or even similar symptoms, another appointment should always be made.
•	You should come to the surgery for an appointment unless prevented by illness or infirmity.  The doctors can see many more patients in surgery in the time it takes for a home visit.
•	When surgery is closed you should only telephone the Out of Hours service in an emergency situation and if you consider the matter is urgent and won’t wait until the next surgery session.
•	Remember you are largely responsible for your own health and it is up to you to take the advice and action recommended to you.
•	Please be a ‘patient’ patient and consider that although you may be kept waiting beyond your appointment time, the person before you may be seriously ill and need extra time with the doctor.
•	We try to see patients at the time appointed, but the nature of the of work is such that on occasion doctors may be called away from their session to deal with a very ill or dying patient, please co-operate with us if we ask you to see someone else or rearrange. 

Our Zero Tolerance Policy is in the waiting room and our staff have the full support of the doctors.  The policy will be implemented if it becomes necessary.

Your views on the quality and type of service we provide at the surgery are welcome.

Please remember that we are working hard to provide a good service so if you feel that any of the quality commitments outlined in this Charter are not being met we would like to know about it. We have a Complaints Policy, leaflets available in reception.  We welcome all feedback and are always interested in service improvement ideas.

Mr Mark Simpson, the Practice Manager can be contacted Monday to Friday by telephone or in writing.