Practice Charter

These are the local standards set within this practice for the benefit of our patients. It is our job to give you treatment and advice. Following discussion with you, you will receive the most appropriate care, given by suitably qualified people. No care or treatment will be given without your informed consent. In the interest of your health, it is important for you to understand all the information given to you, please ask us if you are unsure of anything.

We are committed to giving you the best possible service.

• Names- Practice staff involved in your care will give you their names and ensure that you know how to contact them. The surgery should be well signposted, and the doctors or nurses will introduce themselves when they call in in for your appointment.
• Waiting Times- We run an appointment system in the practice. You will be given a time at which the clinician hopes to be able to see you. You should not wait more than 20 minutes in the waiting room without receiving an explanation for the delay. You should contact reception and inform them if it has been more than 20 minutes. We are unable to give exacted times for telephone call appointments but should be able to give a morning or afternoon time slot
• Access- You will have access to a doctor in cases of emergency; we offer same-day appointments in cases of urgency or otherwise within 48 hours. We will arrange a home visit as appropriate for those who are too ill or infirm to be brought to the surgeries.
• Telephone-We will try to answer the phone promptly and aim to ensure there are sufficient staff available to do this. You should be able to speak to a doctor or nurse practitioner by telephone appointment via completing a Klinik from.
• Test results- If you have undergone tests or x-rays ordered by the practice, we will inform you of the results either at your next appointment or via text message. If you don’t have a follow up appointment, you will need to call the surgery after 10.30a.m to obtain your results please allow at least 48hrs.
• Respect-Patients will be treated as individuals and partners in their healthcare, irrespective of their ethnic group or religious and cultural beliefs.
• Information- We will give you full information about the services we offer. Every effort will be made to ensure that you receive that information which directly affects your health and the care being offered.
• Health Promotion-The practice will offer patients advice and information on; steps they can take to promote good health and avoid illness and self-help which can be undertaken without reference to a doctor in the case of minor ailments. 
• Health Records- You have the right to see your health record, subject to limitations to the law. These will be kept confidential at all times.

Help us to help you

• Contact details-Please let us know if you change your name, address telephone number or email address.
• Appointments-Please do everything you can to keep and attend appointments. Tell us as soon as possible if you cannot attend, otherwise other patients may have to wait longer.
• Home visits-Please ask for home visits by the doctor only when the person is too ill to visit the surgery.
• Telephone calls- Please keep your phone call brief.  Reception will guide you through the Klinik system or help with any other quires.
• Respect- We ask that you treat the clinical and practice staff with courtesy and respect. Arguing, swearing, shouting, rudeness will be looked into and could result in you being removed from the Practice list.
• Responsibility-Remember, you are responsible for your own health and the health of your children. We will give you our professional help and advice; please act upon it.
• Violent Patients-Zero Tolerance-The NHS operates a Zero Tolerance Policy with regards to violence and abuse. The practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse that leads to fear for a person's safety. In this situation, we are obligated to notify the patient in writing of their removal and circumstances leading to it. The Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB) is then responsible for providing further medical care for such patients.
• Complaints - A fact sheet can be found on our website, or a paper copy available from any of our 3 sites.