All members of our Primary Health Care Team are committed to achieving high quality services for you, our patients.  We will do everything we can to keep you healthy and treat you as an individual. We will make every effort to respect your personal beliefs.  We will also try to ensure that you have easy access to the services we provide.  In return for these standards we ask that you treat the doctors and staff with respect and courtesy.  There are times when we have to pass on information about you to other health care providers such as hospitals or Health Boards. This is always done confidentially or by removing your identifying data when this is not essential.  Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to maintain the highest level of confidentiality about patient information.

Our Responsibility to You

We are committed to giving you the best possible care.

• Names - The people involved in your care will give you their name and ensure that you know how to contact them.
• Waiting times – We run an appointment system. You will be given a time at which the doctor or nurse hopes to see you.  You should not have to wait more than 30 minutes without receiving an explanation for the delay.
• Appointments – The practice runs a booked appointments system that allows you to book two weeks in advance.  If you need to see a doctor urgently please contact our reception desk to be advised of a suitable time to attend.
• Telephone – We will do our best to answer the telephone promptly and deal with your requests in a professional and friendly manner.
• Test results – These will be given out daily between 2pm and 4pm.  It is important to always phone and obtain the results of your tests, as treatment, referral or review may be required.  Do not assume the doctor or nurse will automatically contact you as we process large numbers of results and are unable to phone or contact patients routinely.
• Respect – Patients will be treated as individuals and partners in their health care, irrespective of their ethnic origin, religious or cultural beliefs.
• Health promotion – The practice will offer patients advice and information on the steps they can take to promote good health and avoid illness.
• Health records – You have the right to access your medical records subject to the limitations of the law. We can advise you on these matters if you contact the practice manager.  All possible steps are taken to protect your medical data both written and on computer and confidentiality is absolutely paramount in our working practice.

Your Responsibility to Us

• We ask that you treat the doctors, nurses and reception staff with respect and courtesy at all times.
• To help us help you, please let us know if you change your name, address or telephone number.
• Please do everything you can to keep appointments and inform us as soon as possible if you cannot attend.
• Please try not to ring early in the morning for non-urgent matters as our phone lines are very busy at this time.
• Please read our booklet carefully as this will help you get the best out of the services we have to offer. Please ask questions if you are not sure of anything we have said.
• Remember that you are responsible for your own health and the health of your children.  We will give you our professional help and advice but we need to work together.