STANDARDS OF CARE

The practice is devoted to achieving and maintaining a quality health service to meet your requirements.

MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS

Medical examinations for special purposes are undertaken outside normal surgery hours. A fee will be payable. Please contact the surgery to make an appointment. Fees are clearly displayed in the reception area.

PRACTICE RESPONSIBILITIES

You will be treated as an individual and will be given courtesy and respect at all times. You have the right to be treated confidentially.
Respect for religious and cultural beliefs will be honoured.

Normally we will answer the telephone promptly and courteously.

You have a right to information about your own health (illness and treatment, possible side effects, prevention or recurring illness etc). We will offer medical advice to and information for promotion of good health. You have the right to see your own medical records subject to the limitations of the law. A charge may be made.

Home visits will be made when requested and if a doctor feels that you are not well enough to attend the surgery. The final decision rests with the doctor.

We may give you test results when you telephone the surgery for them, or you may be asked to make an appointment with the doctor to discuss them.

On registering as a new patient, you will be offered a health check with the nurse.

If your doctor believes you need a second opinion, then they will arrange this.

Repeat prescriptions will normally be ready within 48 hours; however, it could be longer depending on weekends and bank holidays.

Routine referral letters for hospital appointments will normally be dispatched within three working days of the referral being agreed with the doctor. Urgent referrals for hospital appointments may be faxed, telephoned or provided as a handwritten note for the patient to take to the hospital.

HELP US TO HELP YOU

We ask that you treat our doctors and all practice staff with courtesy and respect.

The first hour of the morning can be extremely busy. Please keep telephone calls brief. If possible, leave routine calls till later in the day.

You are responsible for your own health and that of your children. Please take the advice given to you at the practice.

Let us know immediately if you change your address or name and remember to give your phone number and postcode.

Please speak to a member of staff if you wish to see your medical records. This can then be arranged with your doctor. There may be a fee payable.

Please contact the surgery before 10.00am for a home visit during the day.

Please ask for a night visit only if it is truly necessary.

Please telephone or call into the surgery after 10.30am for the results of any tests you have had.

Please read our practice booklet and browse this website to get the best out of our services available.

Please feel free to discuss any medical matter with the doctor, including asking for a second opinion.

Please let us know if you are unable to keep an appointment. We can then offer this appointment to someone else.

Requests for repeat prescriptions should be submitted in writing only, either by hand, post or fax. No telephone requests, please.

Where an appointment or acknowledgement of a routine referral for a hospital appointment is not received within six weeks, please contact the hospital concerned.

STAFF PROTECTION

A zero tolerance policy towards violent, threatening and abusive behaviour is now in place throughout the National Health Service. The staff in this practice have the right to do their work in an environment free from such behaviour and everything will be done to protect that right. At no time will any violent, threatening or abusive behaviour be tolerated in this practice. If you do not respect the rights of our staff we may choose to inform the police and make arrangements for you to be removed from our medical list.

SUGGESTIONS OR COMPLAINTS

We are happy to accept and consider comments and suggestions from our patients. Please present your views in writing and put in the suggestion box, which can be found at reception.

We always try to provide the best service 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. Our 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 Health Service Authority. Please note that we have to respect our duty of confidentiality to patients and a patient's consent will be necessary if a complaint is not made by the patient in person. If you wish to make a complaint, please write to our practice manager. 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 10 days. Occasionally it may take longer, but we will keep you informed throughout. You may bring a friend or relative to the meeting. We will try to address your concerns, provide you with an explanation and discuss any action that may be needed.

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.

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.