Patient charter – South Axholme Practice

Our Responsibilities to you

To treat you with respect and courtesy at all times.
To treat you as an individual, and to discuss with you the care and treatment we can provide.
To treat all patients equally. We will not discriminate on the grounds of gender, gender identity, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or age.
To give you full information on the services we offer.
To give you the most appropriate care by suitably qualified staff.
To refer you to a suitable consultant when necessary.
To give you access to your health records, subject to any limitations in the law.
To hold all information in the strictest confidence.
To give you a full and prompt reply to any complaint you may make about our service. This will not affect your care, or how you are treated.

Making an Appointment

We will ensure that patient needs are consistently assessed and prioritised allowing us to provide patients with the most appropriate care or other response, from the right member of the practice team, including signposting or referring patients to other appropriate services.

We will provide a variety of options for advice and consultations including face to face, online, and over the telephone.

We will continuously review our online platforms, telephone systems, booking systems, websites to address patient need.

Signposting

We recognise the important role our staff play in signposting to services of help, advocacy and support, which helps patients to feel empowered to take action to support their own health and wellbeing and in turn improves access to primary care services. We will provide clear accessible explanations of signposting to other services, including NHS 111, emergency information, pharmacy services, mental health numbers, and other relevant resources.

We will ensure that the practice is making best use of social prescribers i.e. staff who have access to a directory of health, social and voluntary sector services within North Lincolnshire to best meet patient need.

We commit to share information on other services and practice staff roles through a number of avenues such as practice newsletter, practice information screens, social media, posters etc.

Digital Services

We will offer and promote to our patients (and those acting on their behalf) the following:

an online consultation tool.
a secure electronic communication method.
an online facility to provide and update personal or contact information.
We are committed to ensuring that all of our patients can access and utilise our digital services should they wish too.
For those who are unable to use digital services we will work with you to find alternatives.

Health Inequalities

We are committed to identifying and providing services that support and help us to provide equitable services to all our patients, with the aim of reducing health inequalities related to access.

Registration Rights and Eligibility Criteria

We are dedicated to making the registration process as simple, accessible and visible as possible, particularly for vulnerable groups such as those without a fixed address, refugees, and migrants.

We are dedicated to ensuring people who live within our boundary can register without the need for ID. We may ask for supporting documentation to ensure patients live within the area. Where people who live within the area, but do not have a fixed address, we will be flexible with supporting documentation required and will allow them to register using the practice address.

If we refuse to register a patient with the practice, we will make contact by telephone with an explanation within 14 days.

Repeat Prescriptions

You will receive an NHS prescription for regular medication, when this is available on the NHS.

We will offer you regular medication reviews, so your medications remain effective.

Repeat prescriptions/dispensed medication will be ready for collection in 3 working days following your request.

Referrals

Urgent referrals will be completed in 24 hours; routine ones may take longer.

Safer Surgeries

We are committed to addressing the particular barriers to primary care faced by migrants in vulnerable circumstances, including refugees and survivors of trafficking.

We are committed to registering and becoming a ‘safer surgery’ to ensure that everyone is able to access the healthcare they’re entitled to.

Veterans

We are committed to supporting veterans healthcare and will work towards improving our identification and understanding of their needs and referring appropriately.

Working with Patients

We are committed to working with our patients to understand and respond to their needs.

We are committed to supporting and developing our Patient Participation Group (PPG) by actively involving patients in shaping our services. We will ensure we feedback from the National Patient Survey and Friends and Family Test and results are acted upon. Information about our PPG and patient feedback will be clearly displayed in communal areas and our website to encourage participation and engagement.

Practice Charter

Whilst we are committed to upholding our responsibilities and delivering care in line with this charter, we appreciate your understanding that some factors may be beyond our control and thank you for your patience in these situations.

Your Responsibility as a Patient

To treat all staff with respect and courtesy at all times. Abuse towards our team will not be tolerated.
To tell us if you are unsure about the treatment we are offering you. One of our clinicians will be happy to explain further. Try to follow any medical advice given to you.
To ask for a home visit, only when you are unable to leave the house and if possible, please contact us before 10.30am.
To keep your appointments and contact the Surgery in advance if you cannot attend. We may be able to offer the appointment to someone else.
To be patient if the clinician is running late. This is often due to unforeseeable emergencies, but you are welcome to ask the Receptionist for more information.
To provide our reception staff with information about your condition and we reassure you that our staff have received training in order to signpost patients to appropriate source of help, which may be in the practice or somewhere else.
To let us know if you change your contact details, so we can keep your records up to date.
To share any specific communication or accessibility requirements with us, to enable us to better meet your needs.
To respond or act upon any correspondence received in a timely manner, in order for us to provide continuing appropriate medical care.
To take all the medication prescribed, following the instructions given you by the clinician
To attend for medication reviews of your condition when requested
To plan ahead when ordering your repeat medications so there is enough time
To reduce waste and do not over-order your medication
To consider using our online ordering service via the NHS App (account set up required)
To tell the hospital, once referred, if you can’t attend your appointment, or if you move house or change your telephone number
To raise any enquiries regarding referrals for third party appointments or treatment directly to them
To request copy correspondence relating to hospital visits and outcomes from them rather than from your surgery. Correspondence held on your record by the Surgery can be accessed using the NHS App (account set up needed)
To be discrete when you are in the practice especially at the front desk where it is possible to be overheard
To sign up to the NHS app to view items in your medical record as required removing the need to request these from the surgery
To ask if you need to discuss something in a more confidential spac
To raise any complaints directly with the practice so that these can be addressed promptly.

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) May 2018

We understand how important it is to keep your personal information safe and secure and we take this very seriously. We have taken steps to make sure your personal information is looked after in the best possible way, and we review this regularly.
Please read our privacy notice on our website for more information.

Removing patients from the practice list

Assaults and abusive language to any member of staff will result in the immediate removal of the patient. The police and ICO will be informed. Repeated rudeness from the patients will result in a written warning and failure to improve will result in the removal from the practice list.

In all other instances where the doctor/patient relationship has broken down, the practice will write to the patient explaining the reason for the patient’s removal.

Zero Tolerance

We strongly support the NHS policy on zero tolerance. Anyone who attends the surgery and abuses the GP’s, 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.