Practice Charter & Patient Charter

Practice Charter & Patient Charter

These are local standards set within this practice for the benefit of our patients.

Our Responsibilities to You:

  • You can expect to be greeted in a friendly and welcoming manner and be treated with courtesy by everyone working in the practice.
  • You can expect clean, comfortable and accessible premises with facilities for children.
  • You can expect confidentiality to be maintained at all times by all staff employed by the practice.
  • Patients with urgent problems will be seen the same day and there will always be a Duty Doctor available quickly in the case of an emergency.
  • Routine appointments will usually be available within two days with any doctor. If you wish to be seen by a particular doctor, it may be necessary to wait a little longer.
  • We aim for you to be seen as close to your appointment time as possible. Where a delay is likely we will do our best to keep you informed.
  • Repeat prescriptions received will normally be available for collection within three working days.
  • Urgent referral letters will be sent within 24 hours of a referral decision. Routine referrals are generally sent within five working days.
  • You can expect to be offered advice about how to stay healthy and avoid illness, and advice about self help for minor illness.
  • Complaints will be dealt with using our in-house complaints procedure, details of which are available on request.

Your Responsibilities to Us:

With rights come responsibilities and for the patient this means:

  • You should extend the same courtesy and politeness to practice staff as you can expect to receive.
  • You are responsible for keeping an appointment or giving adequate notice that you wish to cancel so the appointment can be made available for someone else.
  • You should remember that an appointment is for one person only.
  • You should attend the surgery when possible as home visits are for the housebound or seriously ill.
  • The out of hours service is for emergencies only. Requests for help or advice for non-urgent matters should be made during normal working hours.
  • Ultimately, you are responsible for your own health and you should seek to maintain, with our help and advice, a healthy lifestyle.

The Patient Charter – June 2025

This guide tells you what to expect from your general practice (GP) and how you can help them, so you get the best from the National Health Service. More details can be found through the links below.

https://practice365.co.uk/uploads/sites/1819/2025/06/NHS-England-You-and-your-general-practice-Patients-Charter.pdf

Accessible Information and Reasonable Adjustments

Accessible information

The Accessible Information Standard is a requirement that all NHS organisations, including GP practices must follow to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss or their carers are given information in a format they can easily read or understand.

So, we can help and support you we want to know;

  • If you need information in a specific format e.g. braille, large print or easy read
  • If you need to receive information in a particular way
  • if you need someone to support you at appointments e.g. a sign language interpreter or an advocate
  • We want to know if you lip read or use a hearing aid or communication tool

Please let us know if you require any type of support so we can record this information and add it to your record.  You can do this by telling our reception team, doctor or nurse the support you need. It is best you do this prior to needing an appointment, so the practice can make the necessary adjustments in advance.

NHS England has more information on the standard which is available in a range of formats including easy read, audio and BSL video with subtitles.  You can see these by clicking the link below:

NHS England » Patients

 

Reasonable Adjustments

All disabled people have the right to reasonable adjustments. This includes when using healthcare, including GP practices.

We need to make it as easy for disabled people to use health services. This is called making reasonable adjustments.

Reasonable adjustments are changes which mean people with a disability can access the healthcare they need.

Reasonable adjustments are dependent on the person. Everyone has different needs.  Some examples might include:

  • making sure there is good access for people who use a wheelchair in the surgery
  • providing plain English or easy read appointment letters.
  • giving someone a priority appointment if they find it difficult waiting in their GP surgery or hospital.
  • offering a longer appointment if someone needs more time with a doctor or nurse to make sure they understand the information they are given.
  • having a quiet space available for people waiting for their appointment.
  • making sure there is a hearing loop system in consultation rooms
  • using a communication chart to support a person with dementia during an appointment.

Please let us know if you require any type of adjustment to access your appointments so we can record this information and add it to your record.

You can do this by telling our reception team, doctor or nurse the adjustments you need. It is best you do this prior to needing an appointment, so the practice can make the necessary adjustments in advance.

NHS England » Reasonable adjustments

NHS App walk through videos

These videos show you how to navigate the NHS App and use its services. Each video has a voice-over and captions on screen.

Named GP

Every patient that is registered at the practice is allocated a named GP at the point of registration. This GP is responsible for a patient’s overall care at the practice.

If you wish to know who your allocated GP is, or have any questions regarding your GP, please do ask reception.