Practice Charter

What you can expect of us

• That we are committed to providing the best possible medical care for you.
• To be greeted courteously.
• Absolute confidentiality
• Punctuality. Doctors and nurses will only delay appointments by reason of medical necessity.
• To be informed about your own health and particularly about treatment options and likely outcome in the event of illness.
• Access to your own health records, subject to the limitation of the law.
• Sound advice on healthy living and in self-help for ailments.
• Information about service available.
• Rapid attention to urgent medical problems, even when this may cause delay to booked appointments.
• That we will offer you the choice whether or not to take part in medical training research.
• That all new patients will be offered an introductory appointment with a practice nurse and a doctor if on medication.
• That you shall be referred to a suitable consultant when the doctor deems it necessary, being in mind the restrictions of the NHS.
• That any suggestions to improve the service will be considered and a response given.
• That on a weekday you should normally be able to consult with a doctor or nurse within 24 hours for an urgent problem.
• That you will have entitlement to a chaperone should you require an intimate examination.

What we expect of you in return

• Courtesy to the doctors and staff at all times
• To attend appointments on time and give adequate notice if you wish to cancel.
• To remember that an appointment is for one person only; where another member of the family needs to be seen or discussed, another appointment should be made (so that time can be allocated and the correct records made available).
• To make every effort to attend the surgery for consultation; home visits should be medically justifiable and not requested for social convenience.
• Out of hours calls (evenings, nights, weekend and Bank Holidays) should only be requested if the problem is too urgent or severe to wait.
• To phone if possible before 10.00am if you need a home visit.
• That you will also play your part in trying to keep your body as healthy as possible; many illnesses can be prevented and helped by a healthy lifestyle

Practice Charter v11