• You will be treated with respect for dignity, privacy, religious and cultural beliefs and special needs. 

• You will be assured of confidentiality by all members of staff at all times. 

• You will be offered an appointment with a health professional within 24 hours or with a doctor within 48 hours if requested. Please remember that the doctor may not always be available due to other commitments such as holidays. 

• We will try to see you within 20 minutes of your appointment time. You will be offered an explanation if we cannot do this. 

• We will visit you at home if you are too ill or infirm to be brought to the surgery. Home visits should be requested before 10 am. 

• When patients need to be referred to a consultant, the practice will dispatch the referral within four working days. 

• You have the right to have a relative, friend or member of staff present during a consultation or examination if you wish to do so. 

• You have the right to have appropriate drugs and medicines prescribed. 

• We will explain the likely side effects of any drugs and review your long-term needs at agreed times. 

• We have the right to remove patients from our lists if they repeatedly and persistently ignore their responsibilities to us and other patients. 

• You will receive a full and prompt reply to any complaints. For how to complain, please see the section above. 

• If you would like to telephone your doctor for advice, the receptionists will advise you on a suitable time. 

Responsibilities of Patients 

• The less time the doctor spends travelling: the more time is available for patients. Please do not ask for a home visit unless it is strictly necessary. 

• Please do not call out of hours except in real emergencies. Wherever possible, it is best to wait for the next surgery. 

• Please let the surgery know as soon as possible if you need to cancel your appointment. 

• Please let us know as soon as possible if you change address, name or telephone number. 

• Please allow 72 hours notice when requesting repeat prescriptions. 

• Please return all unused and unwanted medications to the pharmacist. 

• If you need a medical examination, please tell the receptionist so that a longer time can be allocated for your appointment. 

• If more than one of your family needs to be seen, please book the appropriate number of appointments. 

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

• You should not expect to be given a prescription every time that you visit the doctor. 

• Please remember to check your cupboards before ordering repeat prescriptions. 

• The practice operates a zero tolerance policy to violence. 

• It you are seriously unhappy with us or the services we provide, you have the right to leave our list and register with another practice. We would prefer to hear of any complaints before this stage is reached.