Accessibility Health Promotion Comments, Suggestions and Complaints How you can help			As members of the practice team, we are committed to giving you the best possible service. This will be achieved by you and us working together. You will be treated with dignity, courtesy and respect at all times, irrespective of ethnic origin, religious belief, personal attributes or by the nature of your health problems. You will be treated with complete confidentiality and privacy. Accessibility We will ensure that our surgery is clean, comfortable and readily accessible, including facilities for the disabled. There is a no smoking rule to ensure a smoke free enviroment. We will offer a range of flexible appointment times to suit the needs of the resident population. We will try to answer the telephone promptly at all times. On week days, wherever possible, patients with urgent problems will be given priority and be able to consult with a doctor or nurse on the same day that the problem occurs. Patients with non urgent problems will normally be offered the opportunity to consult with a specific doctor within three working days. Patients may consult any other member of the practice team, for example the practice nurse or health visitor, for advice about any health problems or health promotion. You can request a referral to another doctor in the practice for a second opinion, as an alternative to or prior to a referral being made to a hospital consultant. Referral to specialist medical or other services will be dealt with quickly and efficiently. Normally a written referral will be sent within five working days. You will always be able to contact a doctor urgently in case of emergency. This will normally not require you or a relative to make more than two telephone calls. If the team member you consult would like a medical student to attend a consultation, you have the chance to agree or say no before the consultation begins. Health Promotion We are committed to achieving and maintaining good health and preventing disease. All children (whose parents have given consent) should be fully immunised.   Comments, Suggestions and Complaints If you have a complaint about the service that you have received from the doctors or staff working at this practice you are entitled to ask for an explanation. We operate an informal in-house complaints procedure. Your complaints should be addressed to the Practice Manager. It will be confidentially investigated. You will receive an acknowledge- ment within 48 hours and a full reply and/or chance to talk about it within 10 days. The same system allows doctors and staff to record complaints against patients. Doctors have the right to ask the Health Authority to remove patients from their list. We want to improve services and welcome any helpful comments. This can be done by direct contact with the Practice Manager or by way of the suggestion box in the waiting room. If you wish to see your medical records, please send a request in writing to your doctor. You have the right of access to medical records made since 1st November 1991 under the Access to Health Records Act 1990. A fee will be charged if you wish to have a copy of the record.       How you can help Home visits are for the genuinely housebound or seriously ill. They are time consuming and their misuse can disadvantage those in need. Please telephone before 10.30am if possible. On Call Doctor out of hours visits (evening, night, weekend, and Bank Holiday) should only be requested where they are essential and for an urgent medical necessity. The duty doctor usually has to work the next day and will appreciate it if telephone calls for advice are restricted to essential matters. Appointments are for one person only. If you have multiple problems that may take more than ten minutes or more than one family member to be seen, please make a double appointment. Whilst privacy will be respected by staff, patients should indicate whether they wish an appointment for routine information, tests, health checks, smears, etc. Please give 48 hours notice for repeat prescriptions. If you change your address or telephone number please inform the receptionist so that our records can be updated. Please be on time for appointments and notify the practice as soon as possible if you are unable to keep an appointment. The surgery should be contacted after 2.00pm for test results and other routine (non appointment) matters. Please remember it is not the receptionist's fault if the doctor is delayed. Next time it could be you that needs extra consultation time.
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