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 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 necessary
- You will be given the result of any test or investigation on request or at your next appointment
- Your repeat prescription will be ready for collection within 48 hours of your request
- Your suggestions and comments about the services offered will be considered sympathetically and any complaint dealt with quickly
Your responsibility to us:
- Please treat all surgery staff with the same respect – we are all just doing our job
- 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 surgery, and night visits should be for emergencies only – the Doctor On-Call will be at work as usual the next day
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
- 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
- We would, of course, be pleased to hear when you feel praise is due as well
Confideniality/Medical Records
The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.
If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.
Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.
Freedom of Information
Information about the General Practioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.
Access to Records
In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.
Violence Policy
The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons.
Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.
Complaints
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.
However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.
To pursue a complaint please contact the practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.
You may also wish to contact POhWER complaints and advocacy service. Please click here for more
Did Not Attend Policy (DNA’s)
As a practice we would like to reduce the rate of DNAs, by the use of education, a certain amount of pressure, and by considering the removal of those who presistently waste our time.
Objectives
To free up appointments for those who guinely need them
To reduce the waste of clinical time
To reduce the pressure on all staff in being able to offer
prompt appointments
Policy
A list of frequent non-attenders will be produced and viewed by the partners to identify any patients who should be excluded from the general policy, for reasons such as clinical memory problems.
If a patient fails to attend two appointments in a six month period, without prior notification, they will receive a warning letter.
If further appointments are missed within the next six month period, the patient will receive a letter informing them that the doctors are considering whether they should be removed from the practice list.