PRACTICE CHARTER
Commitment -The commitment of the surgery is to provide the highest quality medical, administrative care and services to the patients of the surgery. The aim is to treat all patients with the care and attention they require and to have relationships of mutual understanding with trust and respect. We ask the patients of the surgery to help us by following the points listed below.
The Surgeries Aim – The surgery operates a routine and triage appointments system.
The surgery operates a Triage Appointment System, this is for those who require an
urgent appointment and who are unable to wait for a routine appointment. These appointments are telephone calls in which the doctor/nurse speaks to the patient directly. A decision will be made by the Duty Team as to whether an urgent appointment is required that day. The Duty Team will then book an emergency slot for the patient to attend. Some of these Triage Appointments may require a Home Visit. When calling the Duty Team please give a relevant telephone contact number and a brief description of the reason for the call.
- Non urgent appointments are booked into a routine slot at the earliest available appointment.
Routine Appointments – We ask patients to be patient when arriving for their allotted appointment. There are times when some consultations take longer than others. We have no way of knowing why each patient is coming to see the doctor and appointments can often take longer than the normal alloted time. The receptionist can update patients as to where they are on the list. Patients will be informed if there are prolonged delays for any specific reason.
We politely ask that patients are punctual for their appointment and that their slot is booked for one person only.
Car parking spaces at the surgery are limited and patients may have to take time to park elsewhere. We kindly request that patients take this fact into account to avoid arriving late for an appointment.
Please do not park behind the doctors’ cars. If there is a call out for an emergency Home Visit it is important to the care and wellbeing of that person that we can leave the car park swiftly if necessary.
- Home visits are for patients who are too ill to attend the surgery and not because it is inconvenient to attend the surgery.
- If you require extra time than the 10 minute slot please inform the receptionist when booking your appointment.
- Delays invariably happen and we ask patients to understand as there is always a good reason for this.
- If an appointment is no longer required please inform us as soon as possible so the appointment can be cancelled, it will then be opened up for someone who needs to see the doctor. Appointments are precious and always needed.
- The surgery will try to answer the telephone promptly and efficiently, however we ask for your patience as lines can become extremely busy. We ask that calls are kept brief and relevant to the reason of the call. For non-urgent matters we kindly ask if calls can be made during 12.00 – 13.30, telephone lines during this time are usually less busy than the rest of the working day.
Zero Tolerance - The surgery does not appreciate or tolerate any kind of abusive behaviour towards any of its staff. We will do our best to assist you in helping you find an appointment or treatment as soon as possible. All staff at the surgery have the right to carry out their work without threat of violence. The surgery has a policy of removing from our list any patient who is physically or verbally abusive or threatening towards any member of our staff or other patients.
Out Of Hours – If you have an emergency out of surgery hours and are unable to wait until the next day, please call 111 and ask for their assistance. Please do not use this for non-emergency issues.
Our Aim, Your Care & Help – Every patient shall be treated as an individual and will be given the courtesy and respect at all times irrespective of their ethnic origin or religious beliefs. Individuals will be given the most appropriate care by suitably qualified people. Care or treatment will not be given without the patient’s informed consent.
We politely ask patients to treat doctors and practice staff with the same courtesy and respect we give to you as patients. We also ask that patients try to follow the medical advice offered and to take any medication as advised by our qualified staff. Ask freely any questions you have regarding your treatment and medication.
Repeat Prescriptions – Requests for repeat prescriptions must be handed in to the surgery a minimum of 2 working days prior to collection from the surgery. If prescriptions go directly to a pharmacy please check the waiting time for collection and bring your repeat prescriptions into the surgery accordingly, i.e. if waiting time is 2 working days at the pharmacy, then please bring your repeat prescription into the surgery 4 days before it is due. There are 3 pharmacies in Devizes, Morrison’s (supermarket), Rowlands and Boots. Request for prescriptions cannot be taken over the telephone.
Test Results – Please telephone the surgery between 2pm and 4pm one week after your test to get your results. Results can only be given to the patient concerned and to no one else unless the patient has given their express permission that we can disclose this information to them. This permission must be given in writing to the surgery.
Access To Records – Patients have the right to see their health records, which will be kept confidential subject to any limitations to the law.
Comments, Suggestions and Complaints – We are happy to accept and consider any comments or suggestions from our patients. Please put your views in writing and they will be passed to the Practice Manager. Likewise, if you have any concerns about the service you have received, please address your comments to the Practice Manager. Our complaints procedure meets the national criteria, please follow this link to view the procedure - Complaints Procedure.