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Practice Charter  Siarter yr Ymarfer


A stone statue holding a scrollYour rights as a patient
What you can expect from us
What we expect from you

All patients have certain rights when receiving health care.





You rights as a patient:

· be registered with a family doctor

· be offered a health check on joining a doctor’s list for the first time

· have appropriate drugs and medicine prescribed

· be referred to a consultant acceptable to you when your family doctor thinks it is necessary and to be referred for a second opinion if you and your family doctor agree this is desirable.

· have access to your health records, subject to any limitations under the law, and to know that those working for the NHS are under a legal duty to keep their contents confidential.

· choose whether or not to take part in medical research or student training.

· receive a copy of your family doctor’s practice leaflet setting out the services he or she provides

· receive a full and prompt reply to any complaints you make about NHS services

What you can expect from us:

The doctors and staff of the Builth & Llanwrtyd Medical Practice believe that, in partnership with you, they can provide a high standard of medical care. Below we give some of the standards of service we wish to achieve. We would like to emphasise that this will require your co-operation in ensuring that the services provided are used appropriately and therefore available equally to all patients.



· You will be greeted in a welcoming manner by the Surgery staff.

· You will, in all dealings with Builth & Llanwrtyd Medical Practice be treated with courtesy by all health care staff both inside and outside the Surgery.

· All our patients will receive a high standard of care and will not be discriminated against on grounds of race, colour, creed, sex or the nature of their health problems.

· There is a range of qualified staff in the Surgery, led by the doctors, who will ensure you receive appropriate care for your problems and are fully informed about your problems and the treatments being given. Patients have a right to request to change doctors without embarrassment if they so wish.

· Generally, the doctors’ surgeries are “open access”, i.e. you do not need an appointment to see you doctor. This means that you can see your doctor on the day you wish to, but this may mean waiting a bit longer to see him/her.

· Appointments are available for many of the services provided by nursing staff and other special clinics. When you have an appointment, we will aim for you to be seen within 20 minutes of the appointment time.

· We wish to establish and maintain long-term relationships between doctors and patients. For this reason, you will usually see the doctor with whom you are registered, unless they are unavailable. If you wish to see another doctor on a regular basis, you can do this by re-registering with that doctor. Please ask staff if you wish to do this.

· If you telephone the Surgery in an emergency, when the doctors are in the Surgery, the reception staff will put your call through to your doctor or the doctor on-call straight away or give you immediate advice on what to do.

· When the Surgery is closed your call will be put through to "SHROPDOC". They will be able to take the details and pass them on to a duty Doctor who will call you back with appropriate advice. However, In the case of a life threatening illness or injury, you should dial 999 and ask for an ambulance.

· This Practice is involved in training medical students. At times a medical student may be “attached” to the doctor you wish to consult; it is your right to request a private consultation with your GP but it is often such “confidential” matters that instruct the student in the more important aspects of general practice. You may also be seen by a locum in whose professional competence we are confident. At times, your doctor or the nurses and other staff may not be available because they are attending training courses. We hope you will accept this as part of our efforts to maintain high standards of care.

· You have the right to see your health records within certain legal limits. If you wish to see your records, please tell your doctor who will make appropriate arrangements with you after discussion. There may be a charge for this service. Your medical records are, of course, completely confidential.

· When the doctor or nurse carries out or requests a test on you, you should be told what arrangements there are for you to find out the results. All test results are scrutinised by the doctors, and the doctor or staff will inform you of important abnormal results. Test results take a variable time to return to the Surgery. For some specific tests e.g. cervical smears, mammogram results, blood clotting tests, there are specific arrangements about which you will be informed when the test is taken.

· When you have seen a doctor or other staff member for treatment we aim to ensure that you understand the nature of your problem and how to take or use the treatment given. If you do not understand, you may not be able to get the best result from your treatment. Please ask for more explanation if you need it.

What we expect from you:

· If you have an appointment, please keep it or give adequate notice if you wish to cancel

· Doctors’ and nurses’ time is limited, and they have many patients to see. Please do not delay us without good reason, and be aware that there are other patients who need to consult as well. There are, however, occasions when you or another patient will need a long consultation. Sometimes this will delay your consultation. Please take this into account when you are waiting, because you might be needing a long consultation at some time.

· We can see more patients in surgery than when home visiting. Please come to the Surgery whenever possible rather that requesting a visit. You may, of course, request a visit if serious illness or infirmity prevents you attending the surgery.

· We ask the staff to treat you with courtesy and friendliness, and would ask you to treat the staff in the same way. It is not their fault if doctors are delayed.

· For many problems, part of the solution may rest in the patient’s hands, e.g. stopping smoking, changing diet, weight reduction. It is important for you to fulfil this part of your treatment if it is advised. We have an active policy of promoting good health in the Surgery, and part of this is an absolute NO SMOKING rule in the Surgery.

We are not perfect and may not always meet these standards. We will try to give reasons when we do not and ask for your understanding when circumstances prevent us from achieving them, (e.g. emergencies occurring in the community during surgery hours requiring the immediate attention of your doctor)

If, however, you have any queries or complaints, please contact the Practice Manager, or arrange to speak to your doctor for confidential matters.