Practice Charter

Patients' Rights And Responsibilities

The primary health care team is committed to work together to provide the patient with the highest standards of medical and non-medical care.

Our Commitment To You

• Patients have the right to be treated with courtesy and respect.

• Bognor Medical Practice will endeavour to run the practice efficiently with the doctors and the practice nurses running their surgeries at the appointed times. Should there be a delay due to a medical emergency, waiting patients will be advised and offered the choice of seeing another doctor or making another appointment.

• Patients' confidentiality will be upheld at all times.

• Patients have a right to information about their health, such as:

The nature of their illness and its treatment
Alternative forms of treatment
The likely outcome of the illness

• Patients have the right to see their own medical records upon written request and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. The practice will charge the standard fee.

• The practice will offer advice to patients on the promotion of good health and how to avoid illness, cessation of smoking, taking exercise, being immunised and self help.

• Patients with urgent medical conditions will be given priority and will normally be seen on the same day.

• Patients registering with the practice will be offered an entry medical with the practice nurse. This allows the practice to obtain details of patients' past medical histories whilst waiting for records to be received from the previous doctor.

• Bognor Medical Practice will welcome any suggestions or comments from patients which are intended to be constructive about the standard of service currently being offered.
These should be addressed to the practice manager.

• Patients who have a complaint or concern about the service received from the doctors or any of the staff at the practice should address the complaint to the practice manager. Bognor Medical Practice operates a practice complaints procedure forming part of an NHS System for dealing with complaints which meets with national criteria.

Patients' Responsibilities

Your Commitment To The Practice
• Patients are expected to be courteous to the doctors and staff at all times and it should be remembered that the staff are operating to an agreed working practice as specified by the doctors.

• Patients are expected to attend for their appointments on time. If an appointment has to be cancelled, please telephone the receptionists as soon as possible so that the appointment can be offered to another patient.

• Patients must not expect the doctor to see more than one person at an appointment.
Where another member of the family needs to be seen, another appointment must be made.

• Patients should consult with the doctor in the surgery wherever possible.
Home visits will only be made when they can be justified on medical grounds.

• Patients requiring medical attention when the surgery is closed should contact the emergency doctor when in urgent medical need. Patients telephoning for a visit when the surgery is closed may be asked for a contact telephone number as well as the name and address of the patient.

• Patients are requested to keep the practice informed of any change of address, telephone number or name so that the medical records may be kept up to date. This information could prove crucial in an emergency situation.

• Doctors reserve their right to accept any patient onto their practice list or remove any patient from the practice list.

Making A Complaint

We hope that you will be satisfied with the services we provide but if you have a complaint then you should contact the practice manager in the first instance. We operate an informal in-house complaints procedure and hope that any complaints can be dealt with through this procedure. This does not affect your right to make a formal complaint to the PCT if you so wish nor does it affect your right to seek compensation in law.

Confidentiality

Everyone working in the National Health Service has a legal obligation and duty to maintain strict confidentiality regarding information held about you, the patient. The Caldicott Report and the Data Protection Act 1998 issue guidelines to the Department of Health on how practices must handle information about patients.

Access To Medical Records

It is a legal requirement that we record all relevant information in your record. Medical records are treated in complete confidence and not revealed to anyone else without your consent.

Under the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act 1990 you are entitled to view your medical records. If you wish to see your medical records please discuss the matter with your doctor or the practice manager and we can arrange an appointment at the practice for this to happen. If you want a copy (or copies) of the information in your records you may be charged up to a maximum of £50.

Protection And Use Of Patient Information

GPs place paramount importance on service and your expectations to provide you with health care and treatment. We need accurate personal information from you, which we review regularly for changes in circumstances. To ensure that you receive the best possible care and so that we can all work together for your benefit, there might be occasions when we may need to share some information about you with others who have a genuine need for it in your and everyone's interest.

The main reasons for which your information may be needed are:

1. Providing you with health care and treatment
2. Looking after the health and social welfare of the general public
3. Ensuring that our services can meet patient needs in the future
4. Helping staff review care provided, thus ensuring the highest standard
5. Training and educating staff (you may choose whether or not you wish to be involved)
6. Investigating complaints or legal claims
7. Statistical analysis and research (you will not be identified in any published results or papers without your prior consent)
8. Preparing statistics on performance, payment and activity (steps are taken to ensure you cannot be identified)

Patients who do not want their information shared should inform the practice manager.