Responsibilities

Patient Responsibilities

 

  • We ask that you treat our doctors and practice staff with courtesy and respect.
  • The first hour in the morning can be extremely busy. Please keep telephone calls brief. If possible, leave routine calls until later in the day.
  • Please speak to a member of the practice staff if you wish to see your medical records. You are entitled to do this under the Data Protection Act 1998.
  • Please contact the surgery between 8.30am and 10.00am for a home visit during the day.
  • If tests are done, please wait five days before ringing to find out the result. We also ask that you respect our policy that for confidentiality reasons, we only give results to the patient concerned and not to family members, unless of course, they are for children under 16 or alternative arrangements have been made in writing.
  • Please read the rest of the practice booklet or read through this website to get the best out of the services available.
  • You can discuss any medical matter with a 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.
  • Contact the hospital concerned if you have not had an acknowledgement of a routine referral for a hospital appointment within six weeks.

    Surgery Responsibilities

     

    • You will be treated as an individual and will be shown courtesy and respect at all times. You have the right to be treated confidentially.
    • Religious and cultural beliefs will be honoured.
    • We will always aim to answer the telephone promptly and courteously.
    • You have the right to information about your own health (illness and treatment, possible side effects, prevention of recurring illnesses). We will offer medical advice 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 will give you test results within reasonable time when you telephone for them or you may be asked to make an appointment to discuss them with the doctor.
    • On registering as a new patient you will be asked to attend an initial health check.
    • If your doctor believes that you need a second opinion, they will arrange this.
    • You will be given a time to see the doctor in accordance with the system used in this practice. If there is a substantial delay for any reason, you will be given an explanation.
    • Repeat prescriptions will normally be ready within 2 working days from the surgery, or 72 hours for collection from a local pharmacy following your written request arriving at the surgery.
    • Routine referral letters for hospital appointments will normally be dispatched within three working days of the referral being completed and approved by the doctor for our secretaries to process (the doctor may not be able to do this on the day of your appointment). Urgent referrals for hospital appointments are processed as a priority and may be emailed, telephoned or provided as a handwritten note for the patient to take to the hospital