Your Rights and Responsibilities

The Patient’s Rights

  • You will be treated in a friendly, courteous manner whenever you visit or telephone the surgery.
  • You have a right to confidentiality.
  • This practice will provide and maintain premises that are clean, comfortable, safe and easily accessible to all its patients, including those with mobility problems.
  • You will be offered a same-day emergency appointment if the emergency doctor on duty feels it is appropriate that you are seen urgently.
  • There can be unavoidable delays, if this should happen and your appointment time is affected we will keep you informed.
  • Requests for repeat prescriptions, where agreed by the doctor, will be available for collection in two entire working days from the date of ordering (this does not include weekends or bank holidays).
  • You have the right to see your health records, subject to the limitations of the law.
  • People involved in your care will give you their names and ensure that you know how to contact them.
  • 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 Primary Care Trust, an interpreting service for our non-English-speaking patients, provided adequate notice is given as this service needs to be booked in advance.

The Patient’s Responsibilities

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

  • Please read our practice leaflet carefully, and retain it for future reference. Along with the website it will help you to get the best out of all the services we offer.
  • Please let us know if you change your name, address or telephone number.
  • Please ask for home visits only when the person is genuinely too ill to visit the surgery. Home visits take up a great deal more of a doctor’s time.
  • Night visits are not conducted by the practice doctors, but in an emergency after 6.30pm and before 8.00am, all day weekends and public holidays this service is provided by the Out of Hours Service Tel: 111. Please do not request a visit unless it is strictly necessary.
  • Please keep your phone call brief and 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 at least two 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. If we experience a violent or abusive patient the staff will 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 the Chipping Norton Health Centre, they and their family will be immediately removed from the 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 use your mobile phone with courtesy to other patients and switch off your phone before you go through to your consultation.
  • Please do not request a sick note for periods of illness of less than seven days: self-certification forms should be used. If you require a private medical certificate, there will be a charge.