Practice and Patient Agreement - Acle Medical Partnership

The Acle Medical Partnership welcomes you as a patient. The various services which we provide are set out in our practice leaflet. As an extension to this our Practice and Patient Agreement determines what you can expect from us and what we in return expect from you, so that we can provide the best service for the greatest number of our patients.

The care of your health is a partnership between yourself and the practice team. The success of this partnership depends on:

Establishing a shared responsibility to prevent problems before they occur rather than trying to put them right later.
Having a clear understanding of each other’s needs.
Developing regular feedback on how you feel about our services.

Only by such co-operation will we be able to improve our services and achieve the ultimate goal of a healthier community.

Our Responsibilities To You

Registration

At registration your health needs will be discussed with you vital information obtained to enable us to care for you until your medical records arrive.

Appointments

In this practice we run an appointment system. You will be given a time at which the doctor or nurse hopes to be able to see you.
We aim to see you on time, but some consultations take longer than others and we have no way of knowing about this in advance.
If there is a patient with an emergency or a serious problem we will give them priority.
Where there is a prolonged delay an explanation will be given by the receptionist.
We will always see you on the day if you have an urgent need but not necessarily with a doctor of your choice.

Medical Matters

You will be treated as a partner in the care and attention you receive to give you the best possible service.
Following discussion you will receive the most appropriate care given by suitably qualified people. No care or treatment will be given without your informed consent.
It is our job to give you treatment and advice. In the interest of your health it is important for you to understand all the information given to you.

Enquiries

Please keep your phone call brief and avoid calling during the peak morning time for non-urgent matters.
If you have not heard from us and would like the results of your test please phone after 14:00 at least one week following your test. We do not generally have access to test results ordered by the hospital. These will be discussed at your next hospital appointment.
Please do not ask for or arrange a specialist appointment without first discussing the matter fully with your own doctor.
If you later decide you no longer need an appointment made for you, please inform both the hospital and us.
We will try to answer the phone promptly and to ensure that sufficient staff are available to do this.
If you have undergone tests or X-rays through the practice we will inform you if you need a further appointment.
If we consider that you need a second opinion or treatment not available in the practice we will try to inform you of the best way of achieving this.
We will provide you with information about how to make suggestions or complaints about the care we offer.
We want to improve services and aim to satisfy the majority of our patients; we therefore welcome your comments.

Confidentiality and Courtesy

You will be treated as an individual and given courtesy and respect at all times.
You have the right to see your health records, which will be kept confidential, subject to any limitations in the law.
We will preserve your right to confidentiality at all times. Any enquiries we receive about you by another person will only be given if we have your written permission, this applies to other professionals (solicitors, insurance companies) and members of your family.
We will give you full information about the services we offer. Every effort will be made to ensure that you receive the information, which directly affects your health and the care being offered.
People involved in your care will give you their names and ensure that you know how to contact them.

Emergency and Urgent Needs

We will arrange a home visit as appropriate for those patients who are too ill or infirm to be brought to the surgery.

We have arranged for a doctor to be available for emergencies occurring outside surgery hours. It is unlikely to be a doctor from this practice.

Your Responsibilities To Us

Appointments

Please do everything you can to keep appointments. Tell us straight away if you cannot attend your appointment to enable us to offer the appointment to another patient.
Please try to be punctual. If you arrive later than your appointment time you may not be seen as this may cause delays and inconvenience to other patients.
Please ask for more than one appointment if you want more than one patient to be seen or if you have a number of complex problems to discuss.
If we are running late, please be patient, on another occasion it might be you that needs the extra time. Please do not blame the receptionist.
Please only ask for an appointment on the day if you have an urgent medical need that will not wait until the next available routine appointment. Every year the doctors and nurses undertake over 43,000 consultations.

Medical Matters

Being a partner means we have responsibilities to each other and you need to work with us to achieve the best possible outcome for your health.

In return we would ask you to try and follow the medical advice offered, and to take any medication as advised.

Please ask the doctor, nurse or other health care professional involved with your care questions if you are unsure of anything.

Confidentiality and Courtesy

We ask that you treat doctors, nurses and all practice staff with the same courtesy and respect. This courtesy is also requested for their families.
The receptionist will need to obtain authority from the doctor for you to view your records on the practice premises and in accordance with the Access to Health Records Act. You may be charged a fee.
We ask that you preserve the rights of doctors and staff confidentiality by not discussing your health problems or issues affecting the surgery outside the surgery. Please use the appropriate comments system in the practice during opening hours.
Please read our practice leaflet, which will help you get the best out of the services we offer. In addition, we constantly aim to improve services and changes will be notified on the patient information board.
Please let us know if you change your name or address and telephone numbers, especially if ex-directory so we can contact you if necessary.

Emergency and Urgent Needs

Please ask for a home visit only when patients are too ill to visit the surgery. If you are requesting on behalf of someone else please make sure you have discussed this with them first.
Please ensure requests for a home visit reach the surgery before 10:30, unless an emergency arises later.