All members of the surgery primary care team are dedicated to a quality policy to achieve health services which meet the patient’s requirements.

Practice Leaflet

All new patients will receive information about the practice including how to apply for access to online services.

Surgery Premises

Our surgery building will be welcoming, easy for patients to find their way around and appropriate to the needs of users, including the disabled.

Patients’ rights to General Medical Services

The care of your health is a partnership between yourself and the Primary Health Care Team. The success of that partnership depends on an understanding of each other’s needs and co-operation between us.

Patients have the rights to:

• Be registered with a general practitioner
• Change doctor if desired
• Be treated with courtesy and respect by every member of the primary health care team
• Confidentiality
• Be offered a health check on joining the practice
• Receive health care on the basis of clinical need
• Receive appropriate drugs and medicines
• Be referred for specialist or second opinion if they and the GP agree
• Have any proposed treatment including any risks involved in the treatment and any alternatives explained to you before you decide whether to agree to it
• Have the right to view their medical records, subject to the Acts and associated procedure, and to know that those working for the NHS are under legal obligation to keep the contents confidential

With these rights come responsibilities and for the patients this means:

• Please treat NHS staff, fellow patients, carers and visitors politely, and with respect. We will not accept violence, racial or verbal harassment
• Responding in a positive way to questions asked by the reception staff – remember they are working under doctors’ orders
• To attend appointments on time or give the practice adequate notice that they wish to cancel. Someone else could use your appointment
• An appointment is for one person only – where another member of the family needs to be seen or discussed, another appointment should be made and the Medical Record be made available
• Patients should make every effort when consulting the surgery to make best use of nursing and medical time – home visits should be medically justifiable and not requested for social convenience
• When patients are asked to allow two full working days notice for repeat prescriptions, please give us this time as it is to allow for accurate prescribing. Please attend for review when asked before your next prescription is due
• Out-of-hours calls (e.g. evenings; nights and weekends) should only be requested if they are felt to be truly necessary
• Care for yourself when appropriate (for example, can treat yourself at home for common ailments such as coughs, colds and sore throats)
• Do what you can to look after your own health and follow advice on a healthy lifestyle
• Listen carefully to advice on your treatment and medication. Tell the doctor about treatments you are already taking
• Inform us of any change of name, address or telephone number so our records are accurate
• Do not ask for information about anyone other than yourself

Changes to Procedures

When changes are introduced to practice procedures that affect patients, we will ensure that these are clearly explained, by means of a brochure; waiting room noticeboard or individual leaflets, giving as much notice as practicable.

Repeat Prescriptions

To ensure the best possible knowledge of your personal health, these will be signed by your usual GP wherever possible.

Referrals

• Urgent referrals to other health and social care agencies will normally be made within one working day of the patient consultation. Where requested, our GPs will refer you to a private health provider
• We will normally process non-urgent referrals within five working days of the patient consultation or the doctor’s decision to refer

Test Results

When a doctor or nurse arranges for a test to be taken the patient will be informed how to obtain the result. Results are normally available after two working days.

Transfer of Medical Records

The practice will endeavour to dispatch medical record required by the Health Authority within seven working days and same day if the request is urgent.

Privacy and Confidentiality

We will respect our patients’ privacy, dignity and confidentiality at all times.

Appointments

With a doctor: For medically urgent requests, we will offer an appointment on the same day.

If there is a delay in the appointment wait (when you arrive) of more than twenty minutes we will let you know.

We are happy to update you on any delay situation if you feel that you have been waiting too long.

Waiting Times

• Surgeries will normally start on time
• We endeavour to see patients as close as possible to their appointment time, and in the event of a delay we will offer an explanation
• When a doctor is called away on an emergency we will inform the patients and give them an opportunity to book an alternative appointment, or if preferred, to be seen by another doctor

Home Visits

We are unable to guarantee a specific doctor will visit you as this depends on availability and other factors. The decision to home visit will be at the doctors’ discretion.

Out of Hours Emergencies

We will do everything possible to ensure that our system for contacting the duty doctor is easy to follow, reliable and effective.