Patients’ rights
- To be greeted with courtesy
- Confidentiality
- To have a chaperone on your request
- To be consulted the same day if you think this is justified
- To be given an appointment on the day of the request if made by 11:00
- To be seen for an emergency appointment on the same day
- To be seen within 40 minutes of the appointment time and to be told the reason for any delay (e.g. earlier emergency or complex case requiring more than the appointed time)
- To be given information about your health, any illness that you have had, possible side effects of treatment, alternative treatments available, duration and possible development of illness and likelihood of recovery
- Advice on prevention of illness
- Access to medical notes written after 1st November 1992. We may charge a reasonable fee for this
- If removed from the practice NHS list to be given the reason why
- To have suitable access if disabled
- To be able to state a GP preference
Patients’ responsibilities
- Treat the practice staff and other patients with courtesy
- To be actively involved in your own health care
- To keep your appointment. If you cannot, please inform the surgery so another patient can take it. We will contact you if you do not attend an appointment
- If you need a longer appointment to book for a longer time at reception
- To book an appointment for one person only – ‘additions’ make the surgery run late and inconvenience other patients
- To try and see the doctor at the surgery rather than at home
- To be realistic about the urgency of your request
- To not telephone for prescription requests – this leads to errors and blocks the telephone lines
- If you pay prescription charges please come prepared to do so using cash or cheques.
- To produce evidence to support your claim of exemption of prescription charges. We do not give credit and will report suspected fraud.
- To behave reasonably. If you do not do so you will be asked to see the doctor and may be removed from the surgery list. This applies to someone acting on your behalf (eg. picking up a prescription or booking an appointment for you).
- Violent patients will be removed from the list immediately. In this situation you should apply to the Wiltshire CCG on 01380 733898 or speak to PALS (0800 389 7671) to obtain medical care from a doctor specifically contracted for these circumstances.
- For referrals to hospital to take all measures to improve your fitness for any surgery (e.g not smoke, be ideal body weight, eat healthily, take exercise, take prescribed medication), to keep the appointment or rearrange in good time and to tell the referring GP any dates you are unavailable.