Practice Policies
Practice 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 this surgery. The final decision rests with the doctor. Test results will be given after 2:00pm.
If your doctor believes that you need a second opinion, then they will arrange this. Repeat prescriptions will normally be ready within 48 hours.
Patient Dignity Policy
This policy sets out the Practice provision to ensure that patients are afforded privacy and dignity, and are treated respectfully in all appropriate circumstances where there is the potential for embarrassment or for the patient to feel 'ill at ease'.
The requirement to respect patients is the responsibility of all staff, not just those in direct clinical contact with the patient.
Vulnerable patients in this respect may include:
- Elderly.
- Infirm.
- Disabled.
- Illiterate.
- Homeless / no fixed abode.
- Those with specific conditions.
- Patients with communication difficulties.
- Those patients with gender requirements.
- Those known to staff / known by staff.
- Family members.
Patient Responsibilities
We ask that you treat our clinicians and all practice staff with courtesy and respect. We also expect this to be extended to other patients on the practice premises.
The first hour of the morning can be extremely busy. Please keep telephone calls brief. If possible, leave routine calls till 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, phone number or name. Remember to give your mobile phone number and postcode.
Please speak to a member of the practice staff if you wish to see your medical records. This can then be arranged with your doctor. There may be a fee payable.
Please contact the surgery between 8:00am and 10:30am for a home visit during the day. We expect patients to be punctual and to keep their appointments. Please let us know if you are unable to keep an appointment.
If you need to cancel an appointment, we expect you to give us sufficient warning so that the appointment can be offered to someone else. Patients who regularly fail to attend will be warned about their behaviour and may result in removal from our register.
Reception Provision
The Practice will not stereotype patients based on perceived characteristics.
Patients will be referred to with respect even in private discussions in the surgery.
Patients will be addressed by their preferred method and titles (Mr, Mrs etc) will be used as a first preference by staff.
A sign will be available in reception to offer the facility of a private discussion with a receptionist if required. Guide dogs will be permitted in all parts of the building.
Under no circumstances will staff enter through a closed consultation room / treatment room door without first knocking, and waiting for permission to enter (if occupied), or pausing to determine that the room is empty.
Consultation Provision
Patients will be allowed free choice of doctor where available, and will be able to wait or delay an appointment to see their choice of clinician. Where clinically urgent, patients will be encouraged to see a clinician appropriate for their 'best care' without undue pressure which is not appropriate.
Consultations will not be interrupted unless there is an emergency, in which case the room will be telephoned as a first step, before knocking at the door and awaiting specific permission from the clinician to enter. A chaperone will be offered where an examination is to take place.
Clinical staff will be sensitive to the needs of the individual and will ensure that they are comfortable in complying with any requests with the potential to cause embarrassment. Patients will be afforded as much time and privacy as is required to recover from the delivery of 'bad news'. The clinical staff will, where possible, anticipate this need and arrange their appointments accordingly.
Patients will be able to dress and undress privately. A screen will be provided for that purpose. Patients using this facility will be requested to advise the clinician when they are ready to be seen, and they will be afforded sufficient time to do this bearing in mind infirmity etc. A clean single-use sheet will be available for each examination. This will be changed after each patient and the patient will be advised of its availability.
Patients will be given adequate opportunity, time and privacy for the provision of samples on the premises without feeling under duress or time limitation. Patients with difficulty in understanding due to language may have a family member or friend available to interpret or assist.Communication by staff to patients will be individual according to the needs of the individual patient (e.g. those with speech difficulties, hearing, or learning difficulties may need an individual approach).
Where an intimate examination is considered necessary to be performed on a patient with difficulty in understanding due to language or other issues (e.g. consent or cultural issues), it is recommended that a Chaperone or family member / carer should always be present.
Areas used by patients for dressing / undressing will be secure from interruption or ingress. Patients who may have difficulty in undressing may be offered the services of a Chaperone to assist. Patients will be requested only to remove a minimum of clothing necessary for the examination. Consultations in the patient’s home will be sensitive to the location and any other persons who may be present or may overhear.
Post - Consultation Provision
Clinicians and staff will respect the dignity of patients and will not discuss issues arising from the above procedures unless in a confidential clinical setting appropriate to the care of the patient and will also be respectful of the patient in their absence.