Practice Charter

Standards Of Care

The practice is devoted to achieving and maintaining a quality health service to meet your requirements.

GPs’ Responsibilities

You will be treated as an individual and will be given courtesy and respect at all times. You have the right to be treated confidentially.

Respect for religious and cultural beliefs will be honoured.

Normally we will answer the telephone promptly and courteously.

You have a right to information about your own health (illness and treatment, possible side effects, prevention or recurring illness etc). We will offer medical advice and information for promotion of good health. You have the right to see your own medical records subject to the limitations of the law. A charge may be made.

Home visits will be made when requested and if a doctor feels that you are not well enough to attend the surgery. The final decision rests with the doctor.

We may give you test results when you telephone the surgery for them, or you may be asked to make an appointment with the doctor to discuss them.

On registering as a new patient, you will be offered a health check with the nurse.

If your doctor believes that you need a second opinion, then they will arrange this.

You will be given a time to see a doctor in accordance with the system used in this practice. If there is a substantial delay for any reason, you will be given an explanation.

Repeat prescriptions will normally be ready within 48 hours from the surgery, or for collection from a local pharmacy following your written request arriving at the surgery.

Routine referral letters for hospital appointments will normally be dispatched within three working days of the referral being agreed with the doctor. Urgent referrals for hospital appointments may be faxed, telephoned or provided as a handwritten note for the patient to take to the hospital. If you are 75 years or older, you will normally be offered an annual health check.

Patients' Responsibilities

We ask that you treat our doctors and all practice staff with courtesy and respect.

The first hour of the morning can be extremely busy. Please keep telephone calls brief. If possible, leave routine calls till later in the day.

You are responsible for your own health and that of your children. Please take the advice given to you at the practice.

Let us know immediately if you change your address or name and remember to give your phone number and postcode.

Please speak to a member of the practice staff if you wish to see your medical records. This can then be arranged with your doctor. There may be a fee payable.

Please contact the surgery between 8.30 and 10.30am for a home visit during the day.
Please ask for a night visit only if it is truly necessary.

If tests are ordered for you, please ask your doctor or a member of staff about receiving the results.

Please read our practice booklet and browse this website to get the best out of the services available.

You can discuss any medical matter with the doctor, including asking for a second opinion.
Please let us know if you are unable to keep an appointment. We can then offer this appointment to someone else.

Please acquaint yourself with the procedure for obtaining repeat prescriptions.
Where an appointment or acknowledgement of a routine referral for a hospital appointment is not received within six weeks, contact the hospital concerned.

Staff Protection

A zero tolerance policy towards violent, threatening and abusive behaviour is now in place throughout the National Health Service.
The staff in this practice have the right to do their work in an environment free from violent, threatening and abusive behaviour and everything will be done to protect that right.

At no time will any such behaviour be tolerated in this practice. If you do not respect the rights of our staff we may choose to inform the police and make arrangements for you to be removed from our medical list.

Confidentiality

We ask you for personal information so that you can receive appropriate care and treatment. This information is recorded on computer and we are registered under the Data Protection Act. The practice will ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained at all times by all members of the practice team. However, for the effective functioning of a multi-disciplinary team it is sometimes necessary that medical information about you is shared between members of the team. Prescriptions and some of the consultation records are held purely on computer. This enables us to analyse various aspects of health care and to produce an annual practice report.

Suggestions Or Complaints

We are very happy to receive constructive comments and suggestions for improving our service to patients. Similarly, if you have a complaint we will deal with it in a constructive way. Any complaint or concern raised will not affect the care you recieve from the practice. Please write or speak to our practice manager.

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.

Patient Participation Group

Maryport Health Services has a voluntary patient participation group attached to it. This group meets on a regular basis to discuss ideas which may be useful to the practice and patients of the practice. This group is open to any patient who may wish to join. Please contact our reception supervisors, Moira or Jean, for further details on 01900 815544.