Practice Charter

Quality Service For Our Patients

The practice is dedicated to a quality policy to achieve the health services which meet the requirements of our patients.

In particular:

- Patients have the right to be greeted in a welcoming and friendly manner in all circumstances.
- Patients have the right to confidentiality.
- Patients should be seen usually within 20 minutes of their appointment time. If there is likely to be a longer delay, patients have the right to be informed.
- Patients have the right to ask questions (and receive answers) about their health. This refers in particular to any illness and treatment, possible side-effects of treatment, durations and development of an illness, likelihood of recovery and prevention or avoidance of the illness recurring.
- The practice will offer any advice and seek to inform patients of ways to promote good health and avoid illness.
- Patients will be informed of developments in the practice by means of posters or leaflets made available in the practice.

Patient Responsibilities

- Where an appointment has been made, patients are responsible for keeping it or cancelling, giving adequate notice, so that the appointment can be given to someone else.
- Remember that an appointment is for one person only. If another member of the family needs to be seen, in whatever circumstances, a separate appointment needs to be made.
- Home visits should only be requested for patients whose medical condition prevents them from attending the surgery. Visits should be requested before 10.00am.
- Patients should treat the doctors and staff courteously.
- Patients should avoid telephoning the surgery at peak times for non-urgent matters and try to keep telephone calls brief so that other callers are not kept waiting.
- Patients are responsible for their own health and that of their children and should take appropriate action, with advice or treatment from the practice where necessary, to prevent ill health.
- 48 hours' notice should be given on all repeat prescriptions.

Missed Appointments

Due to the increase of missed appointments we are unable to book routine appointments more than one week in advance. This is a growing problem and we are finding it increasingly difficult to accommodate the demand for routine appointments. We hope this system will bring down our waiting time for routine appointments to 24 hours.

On average, in one week we are having up to 10 missed appointments with no notice, costing the doctors 100 minutes in appointment time.

If you are unable to keep your appointment cancel it as soon as possible so it can be offered to someone else. Failure to cancel an appointment can result in you being asked to register at another doctor's surgery.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Confidentiality of Information

We ask you for information so that you can receive proper care and treatment. We keep this information, together with details of your care, because it may be needed if we see you again.

We may use some information for other reasons: for example, to help us protect the health of the public generally and to see that the NHS runs efficiently. Information may also be needed to help educate tomorrow's clinical staff and to carry out medical and other health research for the benefit of everyone.

Sometimes the law requires us to pass on information, for example to notify a birth. The NHS Central Register for England and Wales contains basic personal details of all patients registered with a general practitioner. The Register does not contain clinical information. You have the right of access to your health records and can ask that incorrect information be amended or erased, if sufficient proof is supplied.

EVERYONE WORKING FOR THE NHS HAS A LEGAL DUTY TO KEEP INFORMATION ABOUT YOU CONFIDENTIAL.

Complaints

The practice operates an informal in-house complaints procedure in accordance with NHS guidelines. If you have a complaint about any aspect of the service or your treatment, you should address this in the first instance to the Practice Manager, Julie Magan, who will only be too happy to deal with you personally.

The procedure does not deal with legal liability or compensation matters. If the in-house procedure is not an appropriate form of investigation, you will be referred to the appropriate authority. Details of the complaints procedure are 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.

Freedom Of Information Act - Publication Scheme

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 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.

The Equality Act (March 2005)/ Disability Discrimination Act

Kensington Road Surgery ensures that its policies, procedures and working practices are free from any potential for discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief and works within the guidelines set for the Disability Discrimination Act in its services and employment.