Practice Charter

Our Practice website describes the various services we offer, the surgery times and other general information about our Practice. To complement this, our Patient’s Charter explains what your rights are and the standard of healthcare that you should receive. The care of your health is a partnership between the Practice team and yourself, and for this to be fully effective requires certain co-operation from you. This charter therefore also includes what we need from you in order to meet our commitments fully.

Philosophy of Care

• To provide the best care for patients
• A commitment to attaining the highest standard of clinical practice and encourage health promotion
• To maintain a comfortable and supportive working environment for our team 
• To keep a happy team spirit and empathy for patients and staff alike
• To strive for North Wood Group Practice to be an encouraging place for research, training, learning and teaching
• To ensure that communication is open between patients, staff and all other external professionals, at all times.

Our responsibility to our patients

• You will be treated in a friendly, courteous manner whenever you visit or telephone the surgery
• You have a right to confidentiality
• We will offer appointment times to suit the needs of the population served
• You will be offered a same day emergency appointment if you need to see a doctor urgently
• Requests for repeat prescriptions, where agreed by the doctor, will be available for collection in three working days
• You have the right to see your health records, subject to the limitations of the law
• Patients will be treated as individuals and partners in their healthcare, irrespective of their ethnic origin or religious or cultural beliefs
• We will try to answer the phone promptly and to ensure that there are sufficient staff available to do this
• The surgery will provide, through the Integrated Care Board (ICB), an interpreting service for non-English speaking patients. 

The Patient’s Responsibilities

For our team to give you and your fellow patients the best possible service, we would ask you to note the following guidelines:

• Please let us know if you change your name, address or telephone number.
• Please avoid calling during the peak morning time for non-urgent matters.
• Please ensure you are punctual for your appointments. If you find you are unable to keep an appointment, please give us as much notice as possible.
• Please remember that an appointment is for one person only. If another member of the family also needs to see the doctor, even if the symptoms are identical, another appointment should be made.
• Please request repeat prescriptions in writing and at least three working days before they are needed.
• Please direct enquiries about your hospital appointments directly to the hospital.
• Whilst most of our patients are co-operative and supportive, occasionally we have abusive and violent patients. If this occurs and staff ask you to vacate the waiting room, please comply with their request quickly and quietly as it will have been made with your own safety in mind.
• In line with the NHS zero tolerance policy, it is the policy of this practice that, if a patient is abusive, threatening or violent to any member of staff here at North Wood Group Practice, they may be removed from the Practice list.
• Remember, you are responsible for your own health and the health of your children. We will give you our professional help and advice but need your co-operation to keep you healthy.
• Please be considerate to other patients at the practice by either switching off your mobile phone when entering the premises or keeping it in the silence / vibrate mode.