Station Road Surgery

Rights and Responsibilities

You will be treated with respect and as a partner in your care. Being a partner means you have responsibilities too.

We will:

• Ensure our patients have 24-hour access to medical advice.
  
• Aim for you to have access to a suitable qualified medical professional within 48 hours of your initial contact during surgery hours, or in an urgent case, the same day.
  
• Work in partnership with you to achieve the best medical care possible.
  
• Involve you and listen to your opinions and views in all aspects of your medical care.
  
• Advise and inform you of the steps you can take to promote good health and a healthy lifestyle to prevent disease, illness and injury.

We would respectfully ask that you:

• Let us know if you intend to cancel an appointment or are running late.
  
• Treat staff with courtesy and respect. Reception staff may have to ask some personal questions to assist us in providing you with the best service.
  
• Inform the practice staff of any alterations in your circumstances, such as change of surname, address or telephone number. Please ensure that we have your correct telephone number, even if it is ex-directory, and a next of kin name and contact number.

As patients, you are responsible for your own health and that of any dependants. It is important that you adhere to information and advice given to you by health professionals, and co-operate with the practice in endeavouring to keep you healthy.

Patients referred to hospital have a right to choose the one they will attend.

Equal Opportunities

The practice will:

• Ensure that all patients and visitors are treated with dignity and respect.
• Promote equality of opportunity between men and women.
• Not tolerate any discrimination against, or harassment of, any patient or visitor for reason of age, gender, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition, social class, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or appearance, religion or belief.
• Provide the same treatment and services to any patient or visitor irrespective of age, gender, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition, social class, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or appearance, religion or belief.
  

Comments and Complaints

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends the practice. However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly as possible. Written information is available on the complaints procedure at reception, or contact the Practice Manager who will set the wheels in motion.

We are continually striving to improve our service. Any helpful suggestions or comments would be much appreciated. A comments box is located in the waiting room.

Confidentiality

All staff are bound by strict rules of confidentiality. We ask that you do not request information about anyone other than yourself - this includes confirming attendance at the surgery, test results or personal details. We are a computerised practice and registered under the Data Protection Act.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

Here you can find help with advice, solving problems quickly and information on NHS services. For a free, confidential service contact 0800 3895118.

Violent or Abusive Patients

All members of our team have the right to carry out their work without threat of violence. Like the rest of the NHS, we operate ‘zero tolerance’ and will remove from the list any patient who is physically or verbally abusive or threatening towards any team member or other patients. We treat all our patients with respect - we expect the same.

All instances of actual physical abuse on any doctor, member of staff or a patient by a patient or their relatives will be reported to the police as an assault.

Information Sharing

The practice complies with Data Protection and Access to Medical Records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:

• To provide further medical treatment for you eg from district nurses and hospital services
  
  
• To help you get other services eg from the social service department. This requires your consent
  
  
• When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases

Anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Local Health Board and Government plan services eg for diabetic care.

Primary Care Trust

Station Road Surgery is included in the area administered by Bromley Primary Care Trust.

The PCT can be contacted at:
Bassetts House
Broadwater Gardens
Farnborough
Kent BR6 7UA

Telephone: 01689 853339

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.