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SICKNESS CERTIFICATES
Under current legislation a
patient “self-certificate” is used
for the first six working days of
any illness. The self-certificate
(Form SC1) is available from the
surgery, your employer or the post
office. We do not normally issue
doctors' certificates for the first
week of any illness.
After the first week, certificates
are obtained as part of a
consultation with your doctor. If
you are under the care of a hospital
either as an in-patient or as an
out-patient, ask the doctor there
for a certificate.
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Specialist and Hospital Care – Your
Choice
If a GP or another member of the
Primary Care Team think you need
hospital treatment or specialist
care, they will refer you and you
will be given a choice about where
you would like to be treated. Once
you have been given an appointment
it is important that you keep it
otherwise you have to be referred
again by the GP and await the next
appointment.
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Rights and Responsibilities
For You, the
Patient:
We promise to treat you with
courtesy, dignity and respect and to
act in a professional manner at all
times.
You will be able to identify staff
by name.
You have a right to confidentiality
and privacy.
Patients with urgent medical
conditions will be given priority
and will be seen on the same day
that the problem occurs.
Surgeries will begin promptly; any
delay will be due to medical
necessity. Where there is a delay of
more than 30 minutes you will be
informed.
We try to ensure the telephone is
answered promptly at all times.
We aim to have repeat prescriptions
ready for collection within two
working days (48 hours) of your
request. This does not include
weekends. Requests cannot be
accepted by telephone. Repeat
prescriptions will only be given
where the doctor feels that this is
clinically necessary.
You have a right to see your medical
records, subject to certain legal
limitations. A small fee may be
charged to cover costs. If you wish
to have access to your records you
should speak to the practice manager
who will advise you of your rights
under the Access to Medical Records
Act 1990.
Referrals to specialist medical or
other services will be dealt with
promptly and efficiently within five
working days.
You will always be able to contact a
doctor in an emergency. Normally
this will not require a patient or
relative to make more than two
telephone calls.
Please be patient! We do our best
and are always willing to listen to
any suggestions/concerns you may
have about the care/service we
offer. Please talk to the practice
manager when you think we have got
it wrong BUT ALSO WHEN WE GET IT
RIGHT!!
The Patient: How Can You Help?
Respect others' rights - be
courteous to our staff.
A request for a home visit should
only be requested where it is
clinically necessary. Requests
should be made before 11.00am where
possible.
Out-of-hours visits (evening, night
and weekends) should only be
requested in the case of genuine
acute emergencies. Out of hours
telephone calls should only be made
where they cannot be left
until the next day.
Please remember that appointments
are for one person only. Where
another family member needs to be
seen, even for the same symptoms,
you need to make a separate
appointment.
Whilst privacy will be respected by
staff, patients should indicate
whether they wish an appointment for
routine information, i.e. test
results, health checks etc.
Please remember to request repeat
prescriptions in good time.
If you change your address or
telephone number please inform the
receptionist so that your records
can be updated.
Please be on time for appointments
and give the practice adequate
notice if, for any reason, you need
to cancel the appointment.
Appointments are valuable.
Please ring the surgery after 2.30pm
for test results and other routine
(non-appointment) matters.
Please be patient when the doctor is
delayed for any reason. It is not
the receptionist's fault.
Observe the No Smoking policy. All
mobile phones should be switched
off.
l In the unlikely event of a patient
becoming violent or abusive to their
GP or another staff member or other
persons on the practice premises,
the patient will be removed from the
Practice List.
All members of the surgery team
endeavour to offer the highest
quality of care within the available
resources. We hope we can achieve
this by working together in matters
of your health care.
PLEASE HELP US TO HELP YOU.
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Freedom of Information
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.
Please
click here to view or
download a copy our Freedom of
Information Publication.
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CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY
The NHS asks you for information
about yourself so that you can
receive proper care and treatment.
This information is kept together
with details of your care, because
it may be needed if you are seen
again.
The NHS may use some of the
information for other reasons, for
example:
- to help
improve the health of the public
generally
- to see that
the NHS runs efficiently
- to plan for
the future
- to train NHS
staff
- to pay
hospital bills
- to carry out
medical and other health
research for the benefit of
everyone
Everyone working
for the NHS has a legal duty to keep
information about you confidential.
Sometimes the law requires the NHS
to pass on information: for example,
to notify a birth. The NHS Central
Register for England and Wales
contains basic personal details of
all patients registered with a
general practitioner. The register
does not contain clinical
information.
You may be receiving care and
treatment from other organisations
as well as the NHS. In these
circumstances it may be necessary to
share some information about you so
that you receive the best possible
treatment.
We only ever use or pass on
information about you if people have
a genuine need for it in your and
everyone’s interests. Whenever we
can we shall remove details which
identify you. The sharing of some
types of very sensitive personal
information is strictly controlled
by law.
If your doctor is requested to
report information to external
agencies such as solicitors or
insurance companies, they will only
do so with your explicit consent.
Anyone who receives information from
us is also under a legal duty to
keep it confidential.
If at any time you would like to
know more about how we use your
information you can speak to your GP
surgery’s practice manager or write
to:
The Director Of Public Health
West Sussex Primary Care Trust
1 The Causeway
Durrington
Worthing
BN12 6BT
You have a right of access to your
health records. Please ask for
details at Reception.
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