These are local standards set within this practice for the benefit of our patients.

Our Responsibilities to You:

• You can expect to be greeted in a friendly and welcoming manner and be treated with courtesy by everyone working in the practice.
• You can expect clean, comfortable and accessible premises with facilities for children.
• You can expect confidentiality to be maintained at all times by all staff employed by the practice.
• Patients with urgent problems will be seen the same day and there will always be a Duty Doctor available quickly in the case of an emergency.
• Routine appointments will usually be available within 10 days with any doctor. If you wish to be seen by a particular doctor, it may be necessary to wait a little longer.
• We aim for you to be seen as close to your appointment time as possible. Where a delay is likely we will do our best to keep you informed.
• Repeat prescriptions received will normally be available for collection within three working days.
• Urgent referral letters will be sent within 24 hours of a referral decision. Routine referrals are generally sent within five working days.
• You can expect to be offered advice about how to stay healthy and avoid illness, and advice about self help for minor illness.
• Complaints will be dealt with using our in-house complaints procedure, details of which are available on request.

With rights come responsibilities and for the patient this means:

• You should extend the same courtesy and politeness to practice staff as you can expect to receive.
• You are responsible for keeping an appointment or giving adequate notice that you wish to cancel so the appointment can be made available for someone else.
• You should remember that an appointment is for one person only.
• You should attend the surgery when possible as home visits are for the housebound or seriously ill.
• The out of hours service is for emergencies only. Requests for help or advice for non-urgent matters should be made during normal working hours.
• Ultimately, you are responsible for your own health and you should seek to maintain, with our help and advice, a healthy lifestyle.