Practice Charter Standards
These are the local
standards set within this practice for the benefit of our patients. It is our
job to give you treatment and advice. Following discussion with you, you will
receive the most appropriate care, given by suitably qualified people. No care
and treatment will be given without your informed consent. In the interests of
your health it is important for you to understand all the information given to
you. Please ask us questions if you are unsure of anything.
Our Responsibility To You
We are committed to giving you the best possible service.
Names: People involved in your care will give you their names and ensure
that you know how to contact them. The surgery should be well signposted and the
doctors' or nurses' names are indicated on their surgery doors.
Waiting Time: We run an appointment system in this practice. You will be given a time at which the doctor or nurse hopes to be able to see you. You should not wait more than 20 minutes in the waiting room without receiving an explanation for the delay.
Access: You will have access to a doctor rapidly in case of emergency; otherwise routine appointments can be made up to two weeks in advance. We will arrange a home visit as appropriate for those who are too ill or infirm to be brought to the surgery.
Telephone: We will try to answer the telephone promptly and ensure that there are sufficient members of staff to do this. You may be able to speak to a doctor by telephone at a convenient time, normally at the end of their morning or afternoon surgeries. Our receptionists would be more than happy to ask the doctor or nurse on your behalf for any advice you require. Should you require a phone call in response it is most important that you are there to take the call as we are not permitted to leave any kind of message on an answering machine/voicemail because of our confidentiality rules and procedures.
Respect: Patients will be treated as individuals and partners in their healthcare, irrespective of their ethnic origin or religious or cultural beliefs.
Information: We will give you full information about the services we offer.
Every effort will be made to ensure that you receive the information which directly
affects your health and the care being offered.
Health Promotion: The practice will offer patients advice and information
on:
Steps they can take to promote good health and avoid illness.
Self-help which can be undertaken without reference to a doctor in the case of
minor ailments.
Health Records: You have the right to see your health records, subject
to limitations in the law. These will be kept confidential at all times. If you
wish to see your health records, this must be requested in writing. If you request
copies of your records there will be a charge which will be discussed with you.
Your Responsibility To Us
Help us to help you.
Please do let us know if you change your name or move house. We also need to know your current telephone numbers (landline and mobile). Also tell us if you care for someone whether it be a spouse, relative or friend. There are up to twenty thousand carers within Lancashire and Cumbria who care for someone and are not receiving the support and benefits they are entitled to.
You are also reminded that if you are under hospital care, it is your responsibility to inform the hospital of any changes to your details as failure to do so may result in delays for appointments or treatment.
Please do everything you can to keep appointments. Tell us as soon as possible if you cannot. Otherwise, patients will have to wait longer.
We need help too.
Please ask for home visits by the doctor only when the person is too ill to visit the surgery.
Please keep your phone call brief and avoid calling during the peak morning times for non-urgent matters.
Test results take time to reach us, so please do not ring before you have been asked to do so. Enquiries about tests ordered by the hospital should be directed to the hospital, not the practice.
We ask that you treat the doctors and practice staff with courtesy and respect.
Please read our practice booklet. Together with this website, it will help you to get the best out of the services we offer. It is important that you understand the information given to you. Please ask us questions if you are unsure of anything.
Remember, you are responsible for your own health and the health of your children. We will give you our professional help and advice. Please act upon it.
Please ask if you wish to see your doctor.
Comments & Suggestions
We are happy to accept and consider comments and suggestions from our patients. Please present your views and suggestions in writing and hand them in at reception.
Complaints Procedure
We always try to provide the best services possible, but there may be times when
you feel this has not happened. The following information explains our in-house
complaints procedure, drawn up to respond to patient grievances. Our practice
procedure is not able to deal with questions of legal liability or compensation.
We hope you will use it to allow us to look into and, if necessary, correct any
problems that you have identified, or mistakes that we have made. If you use this
procedure it will not affect your right to complain to the Health Services Authority
or the Primary Care Trust (PCT).
Please note that we have to respect the duty of confidentiality to patients and
a patient's consent will be necessary if a complaint is not made by the patient
in person. If you wish to make a complaint, please telephone or write to our practice
manager. Full details will be taken and a decision made on how best to undertake
the investigation. We believe it is important to deal with complaints swiftly
and to keep you informed throughout the process. We will try to address
your concerns, provide you with an explanation and discuss any action that may
be needed.
Confidentiality
We ask you for personal information so that you can receive appropriate care and treatment. This information
is recorded on computer and we are registered under the Data Protection Act 1998.
The practice will ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained at all times
by all members of the practice team. However, for the effective functioning of
a multi-disciplinary team it is sometimes necessary that medical information about
you is shared between members of the team.
Freedom of Information Act Publication Scheme
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 obliges the practice to produce a Publication
Scheme. A Publication Scheme is a guide to the 'classes' of information
the practice intends to routinely make available.
This scheme is available from the practice manager.
Zero Tolerance Campaign
We are an active participant in the Department of Health's zero tolerance campaign, and will not under any circumstances accept any verbal or physical abuse directed towards patients, GPs or any member of the practice team. You will be removed from our list and the health authority and Primary Care Trust will be informed of this. You will then be asked to find another GP. If you are unable to do this, you must contact the health authority and they will allocate you one.
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