PRACTICE CHARTER
Patient Rights And Responsibilities
You will be treated with respect and as a partner in your care. Being a partner means you have responsibilities too.
We will:
• Ensure our patients have 24-hour access available to medical advice.
• Aim for you to have access to a suitably qualified medical professional within 48 hours of your initial contact during surgery hours or, in an urgent case, the same day.
• Work in partnership with you to achieve the best medical care possible.
• Involve you and listen to your opinions and views in all aspects of your medical care
• The prevention of disease, illness and injury is a primary concern. The medical staff will advise and inform you of the steps you can take to promote good health and a healthy lifestyle.
We would respectfully ask that you:
• Are prepared to re-book your appointment if you are more than 10 minutes late, rather than cause the doctor or nurse to run late for patients who have arrived on time.
• Treat staff with courtesy and respect. Reception staff may have to ask some personal questions to assist us in providing you with the best service.
• Inform the practice staff of any alterations in your circumstances, such as change of surname, address or telephone number. Please ensure we have your correct telephone number even if it is ex-directory.
As patients, you are responsible for your own health and that of any dependants. It is important that you adhere to information and advice given to you by health professionals, and co-operate with the practice in endeavouring to keep you healthy.
YOUR
PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION
To provide you with the care your need, we hold the details of your consultations,
illnesses, tests, prescriptions and other treatments that have been recorded by
everyone involved in your care and treatment eg GP, health visitor, practice nurse.
This information may be stored on paper or electronically on computer files by
practice staff.
We sometimes disclose some of your personal health information with other organisations
involved in your care. For example, when your GP refers you to a specialist at
the hospital we will send relevant details about you in the referral letter and
receive information about you from them. Our practice also participates in regional
and national programmes such as the cervical cytology screening service and your
name and address, date of birth and health number will be given to them in order
to send an invitation to you.
We need to use some of your personal health information for administrative purposes.
In order to receive payment for services provided to you, we have to disclose
basic details about you to the NHS Board responsible for this area and to the
Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service. These organisations have
a role in protecting public funds, and are authorised to check that payments are
being properly made. We are required to co-operate with these checks and the disclosure
of your data is a necessary part of our provision of healthcare services.
Sometimes, we may participate in studies that are designed to improve the way
services are provided to you or to check that our performance meets required standards
and benchmarks. Whenever we take part in activities such as these we will ensure
that as far as possible any details that may identify you are not disclosed.
We are sometimes involved in health research and the teaching of student nurses,
doctors and other health professionals. We will not use or disclose your personal
health information for these purposes unless you have been informed beforehand
and given your consent for us to do so.
Where you need a service jointly provided with a local authority we will seek
your permission before giving them your details.
Sometimes we are required by law to pass on information eg the notification of
births and deaths and certain diseases or crimes to the government is a legal
requirement.
Our use of your personal health information is covered by a duty of confidentiality,
and is regulated by the Data Protection Act. The Data Protection Act gives you
a number of rights in relation to how your personal information is used, including
a right to access the information we hold about you.
Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential
and adheres to a Code of Practice on Protecting Patient Confidentiality. Further
information on this can be found at www.nhsis.co.uk/confidentialilty.
Anyone who receives information for us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.
If you have any queries or concerns on how we use your personal health information,
or would like to access your information, please contact our practice manager.
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION – PUBLICATION SCHEME
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 obliges the practice to produce a Publication Scheme. A Publication Scheme is a guide to the ‘classes’ of information the practice intends to routinely make available. This scheme is available from reception.
Zero Tolerance
We strongly support the NHS policy on zero tolerance. Anyone attending the surgery who abuses the GPs, staff or other patients be it verbally, physically or in any threatening manner whatsoever, will risk removal from the practice list. In extreme cases we may summon the police to remove offenders from the practice premises.
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