Practice Charter

Our aim is to give you the best possible service and care.  In order to reach and maintain this we need to work together.  This practice charter has been drawn up to indicate the commitment that we have towards our patients’ health and well-being and also endeavours to illustrate how you, the patient, can help us to achieve our goals.

The practice will aim to:

Appointments:            

Offer a routine appointment with any doctor within 2 working days

Offer a routine appointment with the doctor of your choice within 2 weeks (provided that no doctor is on holiday, sick or study leave).

Offer an urgent appointment with a Nurse Practitioner within the same day who may refer you to a doctor on the same day.

Waiting time:            

See patients within 30 minutes of their appointment time.  If there is likely to be a delay the receptionist will let you know. 

If we are running late please be patient.  On the next occasion it may be you who needs the extra time.

Repeat Prescriptions:                     

Requests handed in at the surgery or made by email will be available 48 hours later. 

Prescriptions ordered on Friday should be ready by 1.00pm on Monday.

Visits:                

Make a home visit within 6 hours of request. 

A routine visit may be made by arrangement with the doctor.

Emergency visits are responded to immediately, or a 999 ambulance will be arranged if appropriate.

Telephone Calls:      

Answer the telephone as quickly as possible.

Check-up             

We will undertake to remind you when you are due for a check up for any of the following:

(please ensure that we have your current address)

Smear test

Chronic Disease (Diabetes, Heart Disease, Lung Disease)

All childhood immunisations

Referrals:            

Ensure that referrals to Consultants will be dispatched within 5 working days of the patient being seen by doctor

Practice Booklet:     

A Practice Booklet has been designed to help you. Please pick up a copy from reception.

Comments, Suggestions & Complaints

We would like to continue to improve services and therefore welcome any comments or suggestions you may have.  If you have any suggestions please contact the Practice Manager.

We will undertake to give you a written reply within 5 working days, if appropriate.

Complaints will be dealt with by our in-house complaints procedure.  Please see separate leaflet.

The staff will always try to do their best and we would wish you to respect this.  If you have a complaint about a member of staff please contact the Practice Manager.

Please help us to help you

If you are unable to keep an appointment please let us know as soon as possible so that someone else may benefit from your cancellation.

You should not bring another person with you for a separate consultation during your own appointment (even a member of your own family).

Please do not ask for a home visit unless the patient cannot be brought to the surgery.  However we do understand that on some occasions you may be too ill to attend and we would appreciate your request before 11.00 a.m. whenever possible.

Please telephone the surgery after 11.30 a.m. for non-urgent matters, unless otherwise instructed.

The correct numbers to use are:

Appointments/Enquiries             0844 477 8964

Fax                                           0844 477 1869             

It will help us greatly if we always have the correct information about our patients.  If you change your name, move house or alter your telephone number, please let us know immediately.  Incorrect information may result in a home visit to the wrong house, inability to contact you with regard to an appointment or follow-up, should we receive abnormal test results.

Please do ask questions if you are unsure of any information or advice which has been given to you.

Patients arriving more than 10 minutes late for their appointment may be asked to re-book or be seen at the end of surgery.

If you are totally dissatisfied with us or the services we provide, you have the right at any time to leave our list and register with another Practice.  We also have the right to have patients removed from our list.  We only exercise this right in cases of patients who repeatedly ignore their responsibilities to us and to other patients.  We will remove from our list immediately patients who are violent or abusive towards any of the practice staff.