Patient Charter Rights and Responsibilities

ALL MEMBERS OF THE SURGERY PRIMARY CARE TEAM ARE DEDICATED TO A QUALITY POLICY TO ACHIEVE HEALTH SERVICES WHICH MEET THE PATIENT’S REQUIREMENTS.

Surgery Premises

Our surgery building will be welcoming, easy for patients to find their way around and appropriate to the needs of users, including the disabled, within the limitations of the space available. 

Patients’ Rights To General Medical Services

Patients have the right to:
• be registered with the practice if resident within the agreed practice area
• express a wish to be seen by a particular doctor
• be offered a health check on joining the practice
• receive emergency care at any time from the practice
• receive appropriate drugs and medicines
• be referred for specialist or second opinion if they and the GP agrees
• view their medical records, subject to the relevant Acts, and to know that those working for the  NHS are under a legal obligation to keep the contents confidential.

Accessing Medical Records

The practice will assist any patient wishing to have access to their own medical record, subject to the relevant Acts. A fee will be payable.
The patient’s doctor will be available by appointment to explain medical terminology within the legal timescales.

Comments, Suggestions And Complaints

The office manager and, as necessary, the practice business manager are responsible for handling comments, suggestions and complaints about any service provided by the practice.
All constructive comments and suggestions will be considered by the practice.
All complaints will be recorded and written complaints will be acknowledged within the current guidelines.  Where a complaint is made about a doctor, the patient will be able to discuss this with another doctor in the practice, if preferred.

Changes To Procedures

When changes are introduced to practice procedures that affect patients, we will ensure that these are clearly explained, by means of this booklet, waiting room notice board or individual leaflets.

Repeat Prescriptions

The procedure for obtaining repeat prescriptions is outlined earlier in this booklet. Prescriptions will be available from the reception desk. 48 hours' notice (two working days) is required  for a repeat prescription.

Referrals

Urgent referrals to other health and social care agencies will be made within one working day of the patient consultation. We will normally process non-urgent referrals within five working days of the patient consultation or the doctor’s decision to refer.

Practice Equipment Fund

Dr Panton and Partners maintain an “Equipment Fund” for donations, for which we are most grateful. The fund is used to help purchase expensive new equipment to improve the service we can offer to our patients.

Transfer Of Medical Records

The practice will endeavour to dispatch any medical record required by the Health Authority within seven working days and on the same day if the request is urgent.

Privacy And Confidentiality

We will respect our patients’ privacy and confidentiality at all times.

Appointments

With A Doctor

For routine consultations we will endeavour to offer patients an appointment within two working days of the request. For medically urgent requests, we will offer an appointment on the same day following a telephone consultation with the doctor.

With A Practice Nurse

For routine appointments we will endeavour to offer an appointment within five working days.

Home Visits

The practice policy for home visits is shown earlier in this booklet.

Patients' responsibilities

In return for the standards of care and treatment offered by the practice, we hope and expect our patients to observe the following:
•  To treat our staff with courtesy at all times.
•  To attend appointments on time or give the practice adequate notice that they wish to cancel. Someone else could use your appointment!
•  An appointment is for one person only - where another member of the family needs to be seen or discussed, another appointment should be made.
•  Routine appointments are for 11 minutes only. If you have more than one problem please make this clear to reception and request a double appointment.
•  You are requested to inform reception in advance if you cannot attend for your appointment.
•  You are asked to keep the surgery informed as your contact details change.
•  Patients should make every effort when consulting the surgery to make best use of nursing and medical time - home visits should be medically justifiable and not requested for social convenience.
•  When patients are asked to give 48 hours' notice for repeat prescriptions, please give us this time as it is to allow for accurate prescribing.
•  Out-of-hours calls (eg evenings, nights and weekends) should only be requested if they are felt to be truly necessary.

How to help your surgery

Here are a few practical things on a range of issues to help us to help you:
• If you are asked to provide a specimen at any time please ensure you leave your FULL NAME and date of birth for clear identification with the specimen.
• The Lead Nurse will also take telephone consultations. This is particularly helpful for initial travel consultations. Ask at Reception.
• Ears-we recommend using oil for 10 days without cotton wool prior to your appointment for ear syringing.
• Influenza immunisation appointments will be available during the month of October each year - put a note in your calendar.
• We do need up-to-date telephone contact details including a mobile number if you have one.
• Please, when waiting in reception, take a look at the patient information display that provides further information on the services available at this practice.
• We do produce a Newsletter several times a year to try to keep you up to date on news and current issues. Please feel free to take a copy.

Social Services

The nearest Social Services department is at 9 Madeira Road, Bournemouth (telephone number 458000). The department will be happy to help and advise on problems relating to housing, finance and caring for the young, elderly or handicapped.

Confidentiality

Everyone working in the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential. Sometimes the law requires us to pass on information - for example, to notify a birth; but EVERYONE WORKING FOR THE NHS HAS A LEGAL DUTY TO KEEP INFORMATION ABOUT YOU CONFIDENTIAL.
You may be receiving care from other people as well as the NHS. So that we can all work together for your benefit we may need to share some information about you. We only ever use or pass on information about you if people have a genuine need for it in your and everyone’s interests. Whenever we can we shall remove details which identify you. The sharing of some types of very sensitive personal information is strictly controlled by law. Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.
The main reasons for which your information may be needed are:
•   giving you health care and treatment
•  looking after the health of the general public, for example routine screening procedure such as cytology or cancer screening 
•   managing and planning the NHS. For example:
    - making sure that our services can meet patient needs in the future
    - paying your doctor, nurse, dentist, or other staff, and the hospital which treats you for the care they provide
    - auditing accounts
    - preparing statistics on NHS performance and activity (where steps will be taken to ensure you cannot be identified)
    - investigating complaints or legal claims
    - helping staff to review the care they provide to make sure it is of the highest standard
    - training and educating staff (but you can choose whether or not to be involved personally)
•   research approved by the Local Research Ethics Committee. (If anything to do with the research would involve you personally, you will be contacted to see if you are willing.)
You have a right of access to your health records. If you wish to view your medical records please contact reception who will be pleased to send you a copy of the procedure which usually involves a small charge for administration. 
If you subsequently require copies of notes these will be chargeable, currently 50p per sheet to a maximum of £50. 
If at any time you would like to know more about how we use your information you can speak to the person in charge of your care or our office manager or practice manager. A full policy document is also available on request.

Comments/Difficulties

If you have any comments or have experienced any problems about the service we provide, please discuss these first with your GP, the office manager or practice manager. We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, preferably at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible to enable us to establish the course of events more easily. Written complaints should be addressed to Maj N J Thompson or any of the doctors. We hope to provide, within NHS limitations, a high standard of  medical care.
Feedback from the consumer is obviously very helpful in maintaining and improving our care and we are always very grateful for this.
Remember that your local Primary Care Trust (see back cover) is also available to advise you if you have problems that you do not feel able to discuss with us directly.

DEALING WITH VIOLENCE AND REMOVAL OF PATIENTS

We aim to provide the best possible health care for our patients. However, there may be circumstances when it would be considered reasonable, or in the best interests of the patient, to remove patients from the list.
The purpose of this policy, therefore, is to define the practice guidelines for when it is reasonable to remove a patient from the practice list and to ensure that any concerns about removing patients from the list are dealt with fairly.
Situations which justify removal will include:

Violence

When a patient:
Is physically violent or threatening towards a doctor, practice staff or other patients on the practice premises.
Causes physical damage to practice premises or other patients' property.
Gives verbal abuse or makes threats towards the doctor, practice staff or other patients.
Gives racist abuse, orally or physically.
Is violent or uses or condones threatening behaviour to doctors (or other members of the primary health care team) while visiting the patient's home. Such behaviour may involve the patient, a relative, a household member or pets (such as unchained dogs).

Crime And Deception

Where a patient:
Fraudulently obtains drugs for non-medical reasons.

Deliberately lies to the doctor or other member of the primary health care team (eg by giving a false name or false medical history) in order to obtain a service or benefit by deception.

Attempts to use the doctor to conceal or aid any criminal activity. Steals from practice premises.

Distance

Where a patient has moved out of the designated practice area and has failed to register with another GP.

Embarkation

Where a patient has moved abroad for a period of three months or more.

Irretrievable Breakdown Of The Doctor/Patient Relationship

Where a patient's behaviour falls outside of that which is normally considered reasonable and leads to an irretrievable breakdown of the doctor/patient relationship.
The procedure for removal will normally involve discussion by the doctors and written communication via the practice business manager.

Freedom of Information Act 2000

This practice has signed up to the Freedom of Information Act.  This Act requires us to provide a Publication Scheme detailing information and publications which are made available to the public to provide openness about how public services are organised, how much they cost and how decisions are made.  If you require a copy of the Publication Scheme please contact reception.

Patient Communication

We aim to try to keep our patients informed about developments and current issues and provide opportunities for feedback thorough the following mediums:
• Practice booklet
• Quarterly newsletter
• Waiting room notices and themed displays
• Leaflets, brochures and informative publications
• Direct letters to patients concerning reviews or immunisation programmes
• Patient surveys and questionnaires
We do appreciate if you are able to respond promptly to direct letters. This assists us in planning the delivery of services to our patients.
If you have a constructive comment, suggestion or idea please write to the practice business manager.