All members of the surgery primary care team are dedicated to a quality policy to achieve health services that meet the patient's requirements.
Practice Leaflet
All new patients will receive a copy of our practice leaflet, and copies will be available at reception or from the practice website.
Surgery Premises
Our surgery building will be welcoming, easy for patients to find their way around and appropriate to the needs of users, including the disabled.
Patients' Rights to General Medical Services
Patients have the right to:
- Be registered with a General Practitioner (GP)
- Change their GP if desired
- Be offered a health check on joining the practice
- Receive urgent care at any time from the practice
- Receive appropriate drugs and medicines
- Be referred for specialist or second opinion if they and their GP agree
- View their medical records, subject to the Acts and associated procedure, and to know all NHS employees are legally obliged to keep the contents of their records confidential.
Changes to Procedures
When changes are introduced to practice procedures that affect patients, we will make sure these are clearly explained using brochures, waiting room noticeboards or individual leaflets, giving as much notice as possible.
Repeat Prescriptions
To ensure the best possible knowledge of your personal health, these will be signed by your usual GP wherever possible.
Referrals
Urgent referrals to other health and social care agencies will be made within three working day of the patient appointment. Where requested, our GPs will refer you to a private health provider.
We will normally process non-urgent referrals within five working days of the patient appointment or the doctor's decision to refer.
Test Results
When a doctor or nurse arranges for a test to be taken, the patient will be told how to obtain the result (Results are normally available after 5-7working days).
Transfer of Medical Records
The Practice will do their best to dispatch medical records required by the Health Authority within seven working days, or on the same day if the request is urgent.
* We will respect patients' privacy, dignity, and confidentiality at all times *
Appointments
With a Doctor: For routine consultations, we will do our best to offer patients an answer/prescription or telephone consultation within two working days of the request. For medically urgent requests, we will offer an appointment on the same day.
With a Practice Nurse: For routine appointments, we will offer an appointment within five working days. If there is a delay in the appointment wait (when you arrive) of more than 20 minutes, we will let you know. We are happy to update you on any delay situation if you feel that you have been waiting too long.
Home Visits: We are unable to guarantee a specific doctor will visit you, as this depends on availability and other factors. The decision to home visit will be at the doctors’ discretion.
Out of Hours Emergencies
We will do everything possible to make sure our system for contacting
the duty doctor is easy to follow, reliable and effective.
Waiting Times
Surgeries will normally start on time.
We expect patients to be seen within 20 minutes of their appointment time, and in the event of a delay we will offer an explanation.
When a doctor is called away on an emergency, we will let patients know and give them an opportunity to book an alternative appointment, or if preferred, to be seen by another doctor.
With these rights come responsibilities. For patients this means:
- Showing courtesy to the staff at all times - remember they are working under doctors' orders.
- Responding in a positive way to questions asked by reception staff.
- Attending appointments on time or giving the practice a fair amount of notice that they wish to cancel. Someone else could use your appointment!
- An appointment is for one person only - where another member of the family needs to be seen or discussed, another appointment should be made and the Medical Record be made available.
- Patients should make every effort when consulting the surgery to make best use of nursing and medical time - home visits should be for medical reasons only and not for ease or convenience.
- When patients are asked to give 48-hours’ notice for repeat prescriptions, please give us this time, as it is to allow for accurate prescribing.
Out-of-hours calls (e.g. evenings; nights & weekends) should only be requested if they are felt to be truly necessary.