Practice Charter

We aim to provide the best possible service to our patients and hope you will feel that we achieve that aim. 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.

Our responsibility to you:

• You will be greeted courteously
• You have a right to confidentiality
• You have the right to see your medical records subject to the limitations of the law
• You will be seen the same day if your problem is urgent
• You will be seen by your own (preferred) doctor whenever possible
• You will be informed if there will be a delay of more than 20 minutes for your appointment
• You will be referred to a consultant when your GP thinks it is necessary
• You will be given the result of any test or investigation on request or at your next appointment, or contacted if there is an abnormality
• Your repeat prescription will be ready for collection within 48 hours (2 working days) of your request
• Your suggestions and comments about the services offered will be considered sympathetically and any complaint dealt with promptly

Your responsibility to us:

• Please treat all surgery staff with the same respect. We are all just doing our job. We reserve the right to remove patients from our list if they exhibit violent or abusive behaviour towards any member of staff or other patients
• Do not ask for information about anyone other than yourself
• Tell us of any change of name or address, so that our records are accurate
• Only request an urgent appointment if appropriate. Home visits should only be requested if you are really too ill to attend the surgery, and night visits should be for emergencies only
• Please cancel your appointment if you are unable to attend
• Please be punctual, but be prepared to wait if your own consultation is delayed by an unexpected emergency
• Please allow sufficient time for your consultant's letter or the results of any tests to reach us. You will be advised of the usual length of time to wait for results of tests we have arranged but should contact the hospital for results of tests arranged for you by a Consultant
• Use the tear off slip to request your repeat prescription whenever possible. Please attend for review, when asked, before your next prescription is due
• Do let us know whenever you feel we have not met our responsibility to you