Meddygfa Craig Y Don Medical Practice

PRACTICE CHARTER

Standards Of Care

The Practice is devoted to achieving and maintaining a quality health service to meet your requirements.

GPs' Responsibilities

You will be treated as an individual and will be given courtesy and respect at all times. You have the right to be treated confidentially. Respect for religious and cultural beliefs will be honoured.

We will answer the telephone promptly and courteously.

You have a right to information about your own health (illness and treatment, possible side effects, prevention or recurring illness etc). 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 Practice. The final decision rests with the Doctor.

A Nurse may give you your test results when you telephone the Practice for them, or you may be asked to make an appointment with the Doctor to discuss them.

On registering as a new patient, you will be offered a health check with the Nurse. If the Nurse believes that you need to see a Doctor, she will arrange this. You will be given a time to see a Doctor in accordance with the system used in this practice. If there is likely to be a substantial delay for any reason, you will be given an explanation. Registered patients aged 16-74 who have not been seen for three years may request a consultation.

Registered patients aged over 75 years who have not been seen in the previous 12 months may request a consultation. If you are unable to attend the surgery for this consultation because of your medical condition, a home visit may be arranged.

Repeat prescriptions will normally be ready within 48 hours from the surgery, or 72 hours for collection from a local pharmacy following your written request arriving at the Practice.

Routine referral letters for hospital appointments will normally be dispatched within three working days of the referral being agreed with the Doctor. Urgent referrals for hospital appointments may be faxed, telephoned or provided as a handwritten note for the patient to take to the hospital.

Patients' Responsibilities

We ask that you treat our Doctors and all Practice staff with courtesy and respect.

The first hour of the morning can be extremely busy. Please keep telephone calls brief. If possible, leave routine calls until later in the day.

You are responsible for your own health and that of your children. Please take the advice given to you at the Practice.

Let us know immediately if you change your address or name and remember to give your telephone number and postcode.

Please speak with a member of the Practice if you wish to see your medical records. This can then be arranged with your Doctor. A fee will normally be payable.

Please contact the surgery between 8.00 and 10.00am for a home visit during the day.

Please ask for a night visit from the out-of-hours service only if it is truly necessary.

If tests are ordered for you, please ask your Doctor or a member of staff about receiving the results.

Please read our Practice booklet to get the best out of the services available.

You can discuss any medical matter with the Doctor, including asking for a second opinion.

Please let us know if you are unable to keep an appointment. We can then offer that appointment to someone else.

Please acquaint yourself with the procedure for obtaining repeat prescriptions.

Suggestions Or Complaints

We are very happy to receive constructive comments and suggestions for improving our services to patients. Similarly, if you have a complaint we will deal with it in a constructive way. Please write or speak to our Practice Manager. Alternatively, children may speak with a Nurse about any suggestions or complaints. There is also a Suggestions Box in the waiting room.

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. 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 is shared between members of the team. Prescriptions and consultation records are run purely on computer.

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 choose to inform the police and make arrangements for you to be removed from our medical list.

Here to listen, not to tell

We provide a confidential service to all our patients, including the under 16s. This means that you can tell others about any visit - but we won't.

The only reason why we might have to consider passing on confidential information without your permission would be to protect you or someone else from very serious harm, although we would always try to discuss this with you first.

If you are being treated elsewhere, for example at a Hospital, it is best if you allow the Doctor or Nurse there to inform the Practice of any treatment you are receiving.

If you have any worries about confidentiality, please feel free to speak to a member of staff.