Here is some of the essential information you should know
PATIENTS RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBLITIES
You will be treated with respect and as a partner in your care. Being a partner means you will have responsibilities too.
We will:
- Ensure our patients have 24 hour access to medical advice
- Aim for you to have access to a suitably qualified medical professional within 48 hours of your initial contact during surgery hours, or in an urgent case, the same day
- Work in partnership with you to achieve the best medical care possible
- Involve you and listen to your opinions and views in all aspects of your medical care
- The prevention of disease, illness and injury is a primary concern. The medical staff will advise and inform you of the steps you can take to promote good health and a healthy lifestyle.
We would respectfully ask that you:
- Let us know if you intend to cancel an appointment or are running late.
- Treat staff with courtesy and respect. Reception staff may have to ask some personal questions to assist us in providing you with the best service.
- Inform the practice staff of any alterations in your circumstances, such as change of surname, address or telephone number. Please ensure that we have your correct telephone number, even if it’s ex-directory.
ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY
The practice considers aggressive behavior to be very personal. Abusive and/or aggressive comments, cursing and/or swearing, physical contact and/or aggressive gestures will not be tolerated. The practice will request the removal of any patient from the practice list who is aggressive or abusive towards a doctor, member of staff, other patient or who damages property. All instances of actual physical abuse towards any doctor or member of staff, by a patient or their relatives, will be reported to the police as an assault.
Unacceptable behaviour which may result in removal from the practice list includes:
- Using bad language or swearing at practice staff
- Any physical violence towards any member of team
- Verbal abuse towards the staff in any form including verbally insulting staff or clinicians
- Persistent unrealistic demands which cause stress to staff will not be accepted. Requests will be met wherever possible and explanations given when they cannot
- Unreasonable and/or offensive remarks or behaviours
DISCRIMINATION POLICY
We are committed to a policy of equality in the provision of our services and our aim is to ensure that no patient, or any other person wishing to access and make use of our services, receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race (includes colour, nationality, ethnic and national origins), sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or of other conditions not justified in law.
YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS & CONFIDENTIALITY
As a patient of this practice your medical records are confidential and are accessible only to the members of the Primary Health Care Team involved in your care. All our staff are trained to respect their duty of confidentiality to you. There may be occasions when other healthcare professionals require access to your medical records as part of approved research projects, or medical visitors who require access to ensure high standards of care are being maintained by the practice. You should be assured that all persons who have access to your medical records are bound by the same rules of absolute confidentiality as members of the Primary Health Care Team.
The practice complies with the 2016 GDPR regulations; you can view our Patient Privacy Notice here.
MEDICAL STUDENTS
From time to time we help train medical students, PAs and student nurses. They may sit with the doctor during consultations or accompany one of the nursing staff or Health Visitor. You will be asked if you have any objections to a student sitting in on your consultation. Experience of real patient problems and examination is essential to the training of future doctors and nurses, but please feel free to say if you do not wish to have a student present. This will not affect your treatment in any way.