Lilliput Surgery

THE LILLIPUT PRACTICE CHARTER

Practice Responsibilities

• Professional and staff names will be given on request.
  
• Appointments will be made by telephoning 0844 477 8666 or by calling at the surgery during opening hours.
  
• If you need a doctor in an emergency then ring 0844 477 8666 at all times. You will be put through to the duty doctor or given the number of the deputising service on duty at that time.
  
• 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 to come to the surgery.
  
• If you need to speak to your doctor on the telephone the receptionist may ask you to ring back at a designated time.
  
• All repeat prescriptions will be ready for collection a minimum of two working days after the request has been recieved.
  
• We have the right to remove patients from our list if they repeatedly and persistently ignore their responsibilities to us and other patients.
  
• You will be treated as an individual and will be given courtesy and respect at all times. You have the right to be treated with confidentiality.
  
• If you have any queries, compliments or complaints (full procedure explained below), then speak to a member of staff or make an appointment to see the appropriate member of staff. If you have any comments to make regarding our services or suggestions as to how we can improve these for you, please address your letter to Dr Walder or put a suggestion in the suggestion box provided in the entrance foyer together with your name and address.

Patients' Responsibilities

• Please let us know if you change your name, address or telephone number.
  
• Please telephone for urgent appointments before 9.30am if at all possible.
• Please do not call out of hours except in a real emergency. Wherever possible, it is best to wait for the next surgery.
  
• Please remember that the doctor of your choice may not always be available due to commitments such as holidays or study leave.
  
• Please do everything you can to keep appointments. Tell us as soon as possible if you cannot keep any appointment.
  
• If you need a home visit then please telephone the surgery before 9.30am.
  
• The less time the doctor spends travelling, the more time is available for patients. Please do not ask for a home visit unless you are too ill to come to the surgery.
  
• Results can only be given to the person on whom the test was taken unless authority is given for its release by the doctor.
  
• Please remember to check your stocks before ordering repeat prescriptions. Do not stockpile medicines.
  
• If 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 ask that you treat the doctors and all the practice staff with the same courtesy and respect that you expect from them. You will find that this will lead to a much better and more efficient service.

COMPLAINTS

If you have any complaints about the service that you have received from the doctors or staff working for this practice, you are entitled to ask for an explanation. We operate an informal “in-house” complaints procedure to deal with your complaints. This procedure does not deal with matters of legal liability or compensation. In some cases the “in-house” procedure is not an appropriate form of investigation, in which case you will be referred to the Complaints Office, Bournemouth and Poole Teaching Primary Care Trust. The in-house procedure does not affect your right to make a formal complaint to the Complaints Office, Bournemouth and Poole Teaching Primary Care Trust if you wish. Nor does it affect your right to seek compensation in law.

Your complaint should be addressed, in the first instance, to Dr S Thomas who will either deal with it personally or forward it to the appropriate member of staff.

The delegated member of staff will assess the complaint and offer to see the complainant immediately for a preliminary discussion. If the practice procedure is appropriate, a full investigation will take place. A meeting will be arranged in order to advise the complainant of the outcome.

If the complaint is unresolved the complainant has the right to complain to:
The Complaints Office, Bournemouth and Poole Teaching Primary Care Trust, Canford House, Discovery Business Centre, 551-553 Wallisdown Road, Poole BH12 5AG.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential. You may be receiving care from other people as well as the NHS. So that we can all work together for your benefit, we may need to share some information about you. We only ever use or pass on information about you if other allied professionals have a genuine need for it and it is in your interest. Whenever we can we will remove details which identify you.

Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION – PUBLICATION SCHEME

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 obliges the practice to produce a Publication Scheme. A Publication Scheme is a guide to the ‘classes’ of information the practice intends to routinely make available.

This scheme is available from reception.

VIOLENT OR ABUSIVE BEHAVIOUR

In keeping with the rest of the NHS, this practice operates a zero tolerance policy with respect to the protection of its staff.

This means that anyone who is violent or abusive in any way (including on the telephone) towards anyone in this practice, be it doctor, members of staff or other patients, may be removed from the practice list with immediate effect and without a second chance. Extreme cases will result in the perpetrator being reported to the police.