PRACTICE CHARTER

Practice Charter Standards

Over the next page you will see a statement of practice/patient responsibilities. Our Charter outlines 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 or treatment will be given without your informed consent. In the interest 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.

Access: You will have access to a doctor rapidly in case of an emergency. We will arrange a home visit as appropriate for those who are too ill to infirm to be brought to the surgery.

Telephone: We will try to answer the phone promptly and to ensure that there are sufficient staff available to do this. You should be able to speak to a doctor by telephone at the end of morning surgery.

Test Results: If you have undergone tests or x-rays ordered by the practice, we will inform you of the results at your next appointment. If no further appointment needs to be arranged, we will advise you when and how to obtain the results.

Respect: Patients will be treated as individuals and partners in their healthcare, irrespective of their ethnic origin or religious and cultural beliefs.

Information: We will give you full information about the services we offer. Every effort will be made to ensure that you receive that 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.

Your Responsibility To Us

Help us to help you.

Please let us know if you change your name, address or telephone number.

Please do everything you can to keep appointments. Tell us as soon as possible if you cannot. Otherwise, other patients may 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 time on 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. This will help you 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.

Staff Protection

A zero tolerance policy towards violent, threatening and abusive behaviour is now in place throughout the National Health Service. The staff in this practice have the right to do their work in an environment free from such behaviour and everything will be done to protect that right.

At no time will any violent, threatening or abusive behaviour be tolerated in this practice. If you do not respect the rights of our staff we may chose to inform the police and make arrangements for you to be removed from our medical list.

Freedom Of Information - 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 reception.

Primary Care Trust

Warrington Primary Care Trust
Millennium House, 930-932 Birchwood Boulevard, Warrington WA3 7QN
Tel: 01925 843600

Comments And Suggestions

We are happy to accept and consider comments and suggestions from our patients. Please present your views in writing at reception.

Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of an NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria. Full details can be obtained by contacting the practice manager.

Confidentiality

The Data Protection Act 1998 and the ethical codes of conduct of all healthcare professionals require that medical data be treated with great respect and confidentiality.

Confidential information held at this practice is shared with members of our healthcare team, as necessary, to ensure the best possible provision of care. All members of our healthcare team are bound by a strict duty of confidentiality.

Sometimes it may be necessary to share confidential data with individuals outside our healthcare team in order to provide you with the best possible care. For example, if the doctor refers you to another health care professional it is necessary to divulge confidential information in order to treat you properly. Information is only disclosed to those who also have a strict duty of confidentiality. Occasionally we are asked to provide information for the purposes of education, audit or research or for the purposes of health care administration. It may not always be practical to seek your consent to this on every occasion.

In all cases the person to whom such information is released is bound by a duty of confidentiality. The information disclosed is kept to the minimum necessary for the purpose and is anonymised where possible.

If you wish to register any objection to the sharing of confidential information, as outlined above, or would like further information or wish to discuss any issues of confidentiality, please contact our practice manager.

Any objection will be respected except where disclosure of information is essential to protect you or someone else from the risk of death or serious harm. Please put any objection in writing to the practice manager.

The Data Protection Act gives you the right to see your notes or have a copy of them. Please contact our practice manager for advice.