Practice Charter
Your Right To Primary Care
As a patient you have the right to:
- Be Registered with a Practice
- See the Doctor of your choice, subject to availability
- Receive emergency care
- Receive appropriate drugs and medicines
- Be referred for specialist or second opinion, if you and the GP agree
- See your medical records or have a copy subject to certain laws
- Know that by law everyone working for the NHS must keep the contents of your medical records private.
Patient Responsibilities
With rights come responsibilities, and for you, the patient this means we would ask you to please:
- Be courteous to all the staff at all times. Please remember they are trying to help you. There is no place for aggression or rude attitudes at our surgery, it upsets the other patients too. We want our Practice to be a friendly place for all.
- Be on time for your appointments.
- Cancel your appointments in plenty of time. Someone else could use your appointment!
- Make separate appointments for each member of the family who needs to be seen. An appointment is for one person only.
- Try to make best use of nursing and medical time by making an effort to come to the surgery.
- Read the Practice Booklet and other information we give you. They are there to help you use our services. Please ask us is you do not understand them; this will spur us to make them easier to read.
- Please let us have your views. Your ideas are important in helping us make our Practice a friendly and safe place to visit for medical treatment.
Chaperone Policy
This policy is designed to protect both patients and staff from abuse or allegations of abuse and to assist patients to make an informed choice about their examinations and consultations. A full copy of the Chaperone policy can be obtained on request.
Complaints Procedure
The Practice Manager handles all complaints about our services. We record all complaints and write to acknowledge all complaints within two working days. We aim to respond to all complaints within 10 working days, although in some cases more time may be required. Due to strict rules of confidentiality, if you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we will require written permission. Where a complaint is about a Doctor, you have the right to choose to discuss this with another Doctor in the Practice if you wish.
Copies of our Practice complaints procedure are available at Reception.
You can also lodge a complaint via PALS (Patient Advice & Liaison Service) based at Croydon University Hospital, 530 London Road, Croydon CR7 7YE. Tel: 020 8401 3000.
You can also lodge a complaint verbally via the Practice Manager or through a representative.
Freedom Of Information Policy
A full copy of the Freedom of Information Policy can be obtained on request.
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.
