Your rights and responsibilities

Care

You will always be offered the best medical and nursing care. We constantly monitor our standards and provide a wide range of supportive services and clinics for your benefit. All doctors and staff are committed to giving you the highest standard of care at all times and we make every effort to achieve this aim.

Courtesy

The practice always endeavours to treat you with courtesy whether in the surgery, in your home or on the telephone. We ask for the same courtesy to all our staff in return. The practice cannot tolerate verbal or physical abuse of staff.

Confidentiality

Your medical records are confidential and will not be discussed with anyone without your written permission. If you have a confidential problem you may ask to speak to the receptionist or nurse privately.

Consultation

We try to ensure that patients are seen without undue delay. Appointments are normally available within 48 hours, although to see a specific doctor may necessitate a longer wait. Urgent cases are always fitted in on the day requested.

To work effectively together we need your co-operation:

  • Please be punctual, this helps other patients as well as the practice. If you cannot keep your appointment, please cancel your appointment.
  • Please make a separate appointment if more than one member of your family needs to be seen; if you have several problems to discuss you may be asked to make another appointment.
  • If appointment times are running late please be patient. One day it may be you who needs extra time.
  • Requests for visits in the evening and during the night should only be for real emergencies, which cannot wait until the next working day.
  • Our phone lines are very busy in the mornings, so please make non-urgent enquiries later in the day.
  • Be prepared to give the staff some details of your problem when you contact us. This enables us to give priority to urgent requests.